Carry You
by xXEvil-AngelXx
Summary: When you can't walk, you crawl, and when you can't do that...you find someone to carry you. X-23's been alone forever. Fought and existed without anyone. But sometimes, in the darkest moments of your life, you need someone to carry you through.
1. Home Time 1:4 The Weapon

Bonjour and welcome to my attempt at a proper story. This is a sort of spin-off from my oneshot song-fic Lies of a Septic Mind. The story's quite long so hopefully those of you who like it'll stick with it. And I promise to update often. Brownie Promise! The quote from the Summary is from Firefly.

Love to all the people who reviewed LOASM.

Candyglue: Lol, I get in the mood for angst an awful lot too, can you tell? I'm really glad you liked it! Hope you like this too!

natdrat00: Aw thanks a lot blushes well you get to see more here, I hope you enjoy!

TheVixenDixon: Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm so glad you enjoyed the one-shot. Laura starts off a bit differently from how she is in LOASM and this is kind of her "descent into madness" as it where. I agree with you about the fact that other stories seem to act as if Laura's trauma doesn't matter (not that I'm dissing these stories in any way I actually really like reading them) but in my head I think this would have a profound affect on Laura and that is what I base my characterisation of her on.

j.d: I agree totally not enough X-23 stories on this sight! So here's my attempt to spread the X-23 love!

Lark Lover: Yay! First reviewer! Much love! She's a poor little bunny isn't she? She needs a hug! Desperately!

Erm…quick few things before I start. This is set about five months after Target X. Laura hasn't told Logan or anyone any details of what happened to her while at Hydra, Logan can only guess because of his experience with Weapon X. Deborah Risman is called Sarah Kinney in this ala the comics cos, well, she just is, I'm used to calling her Sarah Kinney so I'll continue doing so. I know I say Laura's fifteen in LOASM but at the start of this she's only fourteen until about chapter four…or five, can't remember which. I've merged the Brotherhood and the Acolytes together. Oh and Zander Rice isn't dead. I think that's it. So on with the story!

Disclaimer: Yo! Mervin the Microwave here! Marvin the refrigerator has contracted whatever Evil Angel's disclaimer has so I'm totally filling in for the both of them. Evil Angel so doesn't own Marvel, Firefly or Lord of the Rings! If she did then Hellion would not be in a coma, Mal and Inara would be together and Angel would be very, very rich!

The Weapon

_Logan sprinted hell for leather up the main staircase. He knew the rest were following but he could not hear them. He could hear nothing, see nothing except what was in front of him. He tore down the corridor off to the right every desperate footstep was bringing him closer to the door. _

_Please, he thought, don't let this be happening! Let her be alright!_

_Coming to a sliding halt Logan hammered on the girls' bathroom door. _

"_Laura!" he yelled. He received no answer. Not caring that the others were now beside him, Logan threw his considerable weight against the door. It crashed open, splintering at the hinges, to reveal hell on the other side._

_All over the counters and spilling onto the floor were bottles. Little brown bottles of normal everyday painkillers were lined up empty next to each other. The beer that Logan had bought only that afternoon was gone and their bottles lay about the tiled floor. Hypodermic needles lay glinting on the floor next to glass vials that once contained some of the Institutes strongest drugs. Blood lay here and there, not a lot just spatterings of red leading up to the…_

"_Laura!"_

_In one movement Logan was across the room and had jumped into the girls' massive bath and dragged the unconscious Laura from its freezing, bloody water._

_Hank and Scott lurched forward, took Laura from Logan and lowered her to the floor. She was cold, she was white, and she wasn't breathing._

"_Jean, give me a hand here," Hank said, calmer than his eyes gave away. Jean often helped out in the medlab._

_Logan stood back as they worked on the seemingly lifeless body of his only daughter. _

"_No pulse," he heard Hank say._

_Hank desperately tried to get her heart pumping again, and Jean tried to force air back into her lungs but she wasn't responding. They had gotten to her too late. _

_Twenty or so bottles of painkillers, twenty-four bottles of beer and vials upon vials of hard drugs were coursing through her, poisoning her systems and shutting them down. He was facing the very real possibility that not even her healing factor that Logan knew was stronger than his could save her as the minutes crawled by and Laura was still lifeless._

_He heard a noise behind him. He tore his eyes away from the scene before him and turned. There in the doorway stood the students. Kitty, Amara, Jubilee and Rahne were in tears and everyone else just looked shell-shocked. _

"_Is she gonna die?" whispered Rogue._

_Logan's chest, he was sure, was about to implode on him._

"_Scott," he spluttered to Cyclops who stood half in the bathroom and half out of it, "Scott…get 'em outa here!"_

_Scott made a jerking movement with his head quite unable to nod as he too stood pale watching the futile attempts to bring Laura back._

"_You heard the man!" Scott said, breaking out of his shock. He pushed the students away from the door, Rogue trying to resist but in the end she was dragged away by Scott and Roberto._

"…_two…three…four…" Hank counted his compressions to Laura's chest. Logan ran his helpless hands through his hair frustration boiling over. _

"_Come on, kid!" he cried. Still nothing was happening, Laura was still dead. _

_Something caught Logan's eye. He looked to his left and saw something he hadn't noticed in his rush to get to Laura. There written in blood which dripped down onto the white counter was one word._

"_Sorry."_

One Month Earlier.

Through the deserted corridors of the Xavier Institute while all its other residents slept on a lonely figure wandered. She's scoured the whole building looking for any sign of intruders her animal like senses heightened in the silence and the dark pierced only by moonlight but she'd found nothing. She'd checked the security twice and finding it perfectly adequate she now wandered aimlessly.

On the outside she looked a perfectly normal teenage girl. She was small for her fourteen years, short and slender with long black hair and forest eyes that were windows into her soul, but only when she let them be.

Ask her who she was and she'd give you a different answer depending on who you were. Depending on what she viewed you to be. There was no friend or foe with her, just potential. You were either already her enemy or you had the potential to be.

She is the baby who cried alone in the dark for the first few months of life, then stopped when she learnt that no one was ever going to come.

She is the child who knows that monsters under the bed do exist and who looked into their faces as they hurt her day in and day out.

She is the teenager who has ended more lives than she can keep track of.

If you were indeed her enemy then she would tell you that her designation was X-23 the twenty third replica of the original Weapon X and the first success. And that piece of information would be the last you received before sharp adamantium claws would end you.

But if you were not her immediate enemy then she would tell you that her name was Laura. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl she'd been told once. Other people said it suited her but to her it was just a name, still ill-fitting and still jarred when she thought it.

Ask her _what_ she was and she'd frown at you, unleash her claws and tell you to piss off lest she use you as her new pin cushion. But inside she'd know the answer.

_I am nothing. I am a clone, a replica of something that already exists. A creation of unnatural science from greedy scientists wanting to try their hand at being God._

Laura herself had just come back into the foyer of the Mansion for the third or fourth time in an hour and sat herself down on the staircase. She folded her arms around her knees and gazed longingly out of the main glass doors. Her line of sight went far across the front lawn and up into the forest that surrounded the Mansion. She'd lived in those woods once and she'd felt, for the first time, that she was free. She hadn't been allowed back there yet. The tight security was as much to keep her in as it was to keep other people out.

She'd tried so many times to go back, but they'd told her, Logan and Professor Xavier, that it wasn't safe for her, not yet, Hydra were still out there, even though Laura had taken out the Supreme Hydra Madame Viper, and they knew as well as she did that they would never let her go. They'd spent too much time and money to let her go.

There were times she felt she'd left one prison for another.

Granted this was a nicer prison, she didn't have to endure the rigorous testing she did at the Facility, she wasn't constantly being watched and the décor was much nicer than the mind-numbingly white walls of Hydra's secret lab. But it was still a prison, there were still walls, still doors with locks, and there was still a security system holding her in. It wouldn't keep her in forever – it _couldn't_ keep her in forever – Logan knew this too, but at the moment Laura's fear and loathing of Hydra made her accept her new prison. It could always be worse. And in her experience if things could be worse, they would get worse. And she wasn't willing to accommodate that.

Still, she missed the woods.

Laura had been here a month now and her nightly ritual hadn't changed. Her healing factor meant she didn't need a lot of sleep to which she was grateful. She didn't like sleeping, it was the time when her concentration and focus faltered and all her demons came out to play. So she cut her sleep to the bare minimum. She didn't need it anyway, but it left her with several boring hours in the dead of night in which to wander.

For a while when she'd first arrived she hadn't known what on earth to do with herself. Never before had she suddenly found herself with so much free time. Normally she'd have been training hard but there was only so much time Logan was willing to give her in the Danger Room. It wasn't that he couldn't keep up with her or indeed that he didn't want her focussing all that pent up energy in a non-lethal direction it was just that she was so good at what she did she kept on breaking everything. The others needed to train too and by the time Laura was done with the Danger Room (by done this meant she was usually forcibly removed) there wasn't an awful lot of it left so this was almost impossible. So now Laura was restricted to only three hours a day. This left her with twenty-one other hours in the day to fill. Four to six of those were filled with necessary sleep. So all in all fifteen to seventeen hours a day were left to her.

The others went to a place called school. Nearest Laura could figure this was a sort of day prison where people aged five to eighteen were kept for about six hours a day to have facts drilled into their brains against their will. That and move about a thing called a social ladder. Laura didn't know what kind of ladder it was but the way Rogue had described made it sound extremely unappealing. Apparently it was extremely hard to climb and very easy to fall down. She found this quite hard to picture and as talking about it made Rogue even grumpier than usual Laura didn't question it further.

The world around Laura confused and baffled her at the best of times. She came from a simple world where her life was not her own and every move she made was planned out for her in advance. Trained from the moment she could walk her considerable skills were second nature to her. Therefore all she ever had to know was that make a mistake and she'd be severely punished for it. Do it right and, well, get beaten anyway just to make sure the lesson had gone in. It was simple in her mind at least. That was her life. Orders given from above and she'd do them. Now however in the real world things were much more complicated. After only a few overwhelming days of everyone in the Institute trying to "normalise" her, Laura shut herself in her room. She had found a few books in there the first day she'd been there but she hadn't bothered with them, now with only those four walls for company she opened them expecting to find something akin to the "Art of War."

But what she'd found had confused her even more. What the hell was Middle Earth? Where was it? Why was it in the middle? What of? What were Elves? And Orcs? How could a simple bit of Jewellery insight so much death and fear, twisting the minds of those who carried it so much that they were diminished into something so pitiful and evil as that Gollum thing. Hydra would give their right arms for it, Laura thought. Rogue had laughed at her when she'd questioned her about it. She thought she'd been joking. She'd stopped when she saw Laura was deadly serious. It was fiction, Rogue explained, it was just a story, something someone had made up in their spare time to amuse other people. Laura hadn't understood the point of it at all. But she was relieved to know that this weapon at least didn't exist.

It was almost a surprise to Logan when he'd found her reading. He hadn't honestly thought Hydra would have bothered to teach her if all they wanted from her was to kill. Laura had taken offence to this. Of course she could read! What use would she be to Hydra if she couldn't read the dossiers they passed to her on her next mission?

Laura opened one of them now. She'd taken to carrying it with her on these nightly wanders and she'd read it after satisfying herself that the Mansion was still safe. The moonlight was sufficient enough for her to see the tiny print; her eyesight was of course much better than the average human's.

'_The realm of Sauron is ended!" said Gandalf. 'The Ring-bearer has fulfilled his Quest." And as the Captains gazed south to the Land of Mordor, it seemed to them that, black against the pall of cloud, there rose a huge shape of shadow, impenetrable, lightening-crowned, filling all the sky. Enormous it reared above the world, and stretched out towards them a vast threatening hand, terrible but impotent: for even as it leaned over them a great wind took it, and it was all blown away, and passed; and then a hush fell._

Laura stayed there reading the end of the story until the sun came up and the sounds of life began to creep back into the Mansion.

Sighing Laura closed the book and headed back up the stairs and into her room resisting the urge to lock it behind her. As chaos erupted in the corridors with everyone fighting to get into the bathrooms Laura slipped into black jeans and a black tank top. Plain and simple and practical.

She folded up the cotton pyjamas and put them neatly back into the drawers. If you took a look around her bedroom you'd think that no one lived there. It was meticulously tidy, growing up military style had driven that into her and it seemed that no one was in a rush to undo that particularly with the mess the others made around the place.

The thought of going out there into said chaos didn't appeal to her. Boring though it was Laura much preferred it when fewer people were around. There were less looks and less whispered comments that people though she couldn't hear.

Laura sat back on her bed with her book and leant back on her pillows and carried on with it. She was glad no one bothered her that morning, they all sounded too much in a rush anyway it being Monday. Sometimes Rogue and Kitty would knock for her and she'd be dragged downstairs for breakfast. Ororo was a great cook in a different league to anyone else in the Mansion especially Kitty who'd once tricked Laura into trying one of her muffins. Laura ended up in the med lab for two days with a roaring fever and a tummy ache. Part of her thought Kitty ought to be congratulated; making someone with a better healing factor than even Logan ill was no mean feat! Food they were not but Kitty's muffins had the potential to one day be a lethal weapon of destruction. Just what the hell did she put in them anyway? Laura decided she didn't want to know.

Laura liked the food Ororo cooked, she hadn't been aware it existed until a little while ago it was just the chaos surrounding it that bothered her. Powers going haywire, people shouting at each other, people trying to do homework that was late already, small fires going on in the appliances, people diving over each other – all this was perfectly normal around here, apparently. Well not to her it wasn't. She'd only tried this a couple of times and each time she ended up having to go blow off some steam in the Danger Room trying to get rid of a very familiar urge to stab something. Which, the Professor had explained very calmly, after Laura had nearly separated Bobby and his arm after he tried to steal _her _waffle, was not under any circumstances allowed.

She became aware after an hour or so that the noise levels in the Mansion had died down and the noise levels outside had gone up.

She got up from the bed and walked to the window. Bitterly Laura watched all the others head off for school. Some headed off with Ororo in the X-Van, a couple ported with Kurt and Scott, Rogue, Kitty and Jean hopped into Scott's red car, the one which he had a baffling attachment to. Rogue looked up and gave a haughty, annoyed wave. Laura gave an equally annoyed one back. She didn't like the sound of school it was just another cage but…at least it was out there. She envied them for their freedom. She should be grateful for it, Laura thought.

Her ears pricked at the sound of footsteps nearing her door as the others drove away. She knew who it was even before she caught his scent. There was a hard bang on the door before it opened.

"Hey, kid,"

"Don't call me kid," Laura snapped to Wolverine who was standing in her doorway.

"Well good mornin' to you too, sunshine," Logan said. "Good mood as always I see,"

"I wonder who I get _that_ from," Laura said.

Logan grinned, "Wanna go blow off some steam, kid?"

"By blow off steam do you mean I get to wreck the Danger Room? Yeah why not, I don't have anything better to do."

--

It ends quite abruptly I know. So, what do you think? Good? Bad? Burn the author at the stake? Would love to hear your opinions on this!

Next Chapter: Logan attempts to teach Laura how to control her anger. Good luck with that.


	2. Home Time 2:4 Impossible

First of all an apology. I'm so sorry this is so late. And I'm only on chapter 2! I profess a middle of the week trip up north that I didn't know about until the day before which totally screwed up my writing schedule.

This is not the best chapter in the world. I was getting so late in updating I felt I just had to shove it up there. Next chappie will be better I promise.

Next, love and snuggles to the people who reviewed Chapter 1.

HOU MAD: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like the beginning, I was sure no one would 'cos I utterly suck at beginnings, and endings for that matter. I usually only write the middle so this is writing process is pretty painful. Lol.

Rose of Hope: Yes, I just leave it at that! Lol, I really suck at endings. I love Logan Laura relationships too! Only I have to have them father/daughter but that's just my opinion. Ta for the great review!

firefly: Am blushing profusely. So happy you liked and I do intend to keep it up, I've planned the whole thing and I do wanna share it with you guys!

natdrat00: Yay! Natdrat's back! Nice to hear from you again! There's some more here per your order lol!

allyg1990: Dude, I totally love your stories! I feel so guilty I haven't reviewed and I swear I will totally do it cos I love them! Thank you for reviewing!

Terez: Yo j.d! Yay, someone's excited! I like excited people! Yeah, I felt I had to mix her two counterparts 'cos her cartoon looks nothing like Logan! Hello, clone? I read "I'm Sorry" and I really liked it! I swear I will review it properly. I haven't as yet because I've been away and have had no access to a darn computer! Anyways enjoy chapter two!!

**Disclaimer:** Yo, Evil Angel here. Mervin and Marvin are back doing their regular old jobs and I'm here plotting how to overthrow Marvel as, unfairly, I do not currently own the X-Men...yet.

Chapter 2: Impossible

Logan muttered some select obscenities under his breath.

So far in the half an hour he and Laura had been in the DR battling against some upgraded robots (which he thought might have provided _some_ challenge. Bollocks was all he had to say to _that_!) he'd been hacked, slashed, and nearly blown up – and that was just by the robots – Laura had behaved herself for the first five minutes and followed his rule and then had proceeded to completely ignore him and do things her way.

Anyone who thought that Logan was a bit of an animal when in the Danger Room had clearly not been subjected to the insane Laura version.

She sliced her way through the Danger Room as a whirlwind of claws and debris and death-defying acrobatics.

While she was still attempting to get herself killed, Logan was currently holding an arm over his stomach where a particularly violent buzz saw had sliced it open waiting for it to heal while simultaneously fending off another robot with the other arm.

There was a growl of rage and two sets of claws came piercing through the robots chest. It sparked and fumed and finally fell to the floor. Laura stood behind. She took one look at Logan's current condition and rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, you heal too SLOW!"

With that she launched herself at the robots again.

"So ya keep telling me," Logan sighed.

He watched as Laura sprang from the ground with a roar of rage which would have sent a wild grizzly running for cover, twisted herself in the air and simultaneously decapitated two robots with her hand and foot claws. The force of her leap sent her careering toward the wall. She hit it and slid down it using her claws to slice through the steel. Logan groaned as he saw the deep gashes.

He'd had enough of this. This was _his_ training session and _his_ clone and she was damn well going to listen to him! Even if he had to restrain her.

"End session!" he yelled. Immediately the robots died and the various killing implements retreated back into the walls, floor and ceiling. Laura stopped mid hack and turned to face him a look of mingled confusion and anger on her face.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, coming to stand in front of him arms folded.

"What the hell was that?" said Logan. Laura shrugged.

"Danger Room session?"

"Ya know what I mean."

"What?" Laura cried, "You said destroy the robots and I did!"

"I didn't mean pulverise the damn things! We've gone over this, kid! Ya can't just explode at everything!"

"I didn't explode at everything!" Laura snarled at him.

"Oh yeah?" Logan looked around the war-zone that was the Danger Room, "'Cos all these decimated bodies have got two claw marks, not three!"

Laura frowned at him, "So you're angry because I'm better than you? Face it, old man; I can beat anything you throw at me."

Logan gave a short laugh, "Ya are not better than me! And I am _not_ old!"

"Says the man who fought through World War II and can still ride a motorbike,"

"Look," Logan snapped, "ya are not better than me!"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah," said Logan, nodding surely, "'cos, unlike you, I can control myself."

Laura snorted, "Yeah, right,"

"Yeah, _right_. I just choose not to sometimes. But the point is, kid, ya gotta start controllin' that anger of yours…."

"I'm trying, ok!"

"Yeah well try harder!" Logan cried, "This ain't the way we do things around here, kid!"

"Yeah, well it's the way _I_ do things." Laura protested.

Logan shook his head slowly, "Ya gotta learn a better way, kid, 'cos this ain't Hydra,"

The very mention of that name was enough for Laura to want to go and stab the robots again. Blood pounding in her head, Laura pushed past Logan.

"Don't you think I know that!" she yelled, heading for the door. Logan kicked himself mentally.

"Look, kid, I didn't…"

But she was already gone. Logan huffed, annoyed. Well that hadn't gone well. He'd failed to prevent her destroying the Danger Room again and now he'd managed to upset her, wonderful!

"What are you doing?"

Logan looked back to the door. Ororo Munroe, the weather witch Storm was walking toward him with a perplexed expression on her face.

"Danger Room session, what's it look like?" Logan said, gruffly.

Ororo came to stand in front of him and frowned

"I've just seen, Laura. She was upset, what have you said to her?"

Logan raised his eyebrows.

"Why d'ya think _I've_ done anything?"

"Because you're the only one here,"

"Dammit 'Ro, I don't know what the hell I'm doin' with that kid! She's been here a month now and she's no different!"

"Logan," Ororo sighed, "she's just a child. And she is different. She hasn't hurt anyone for two weeks now, not since Bobby. That is somewhat of an improvement." Ororo looked about the room. "All this," she mused, "don't you think you're pushing her a bit hard?"

"Hard?" Logan said with a short laugh, "Hard? Kid's slashed her way through every damn course and programme we got! It's so easy for her she makes it look like a goddamned joke! And don't tell me you've forgotten the time when she broke in here and took us all out..."

"Logan,"

"Or the time that she blew up that Hydra ship along with Gauntlet and that Viper woman, not to mention herself!"

"I know, Logan!" Ororo cried. "But don't you think all this is a bit much?"

"No,"

Ororo rolled her eyes, the man was insufferably stubborn.

"Logan, she's fourteen years old don't…."

"Actually she's fourteen years, eleven months and three weeks old…she's gonna be fifteen at the end of the week."

Ororo wasn't exactly sure why that piece of information mattered, but she pressed on.

"The point still stands, Logan, you have to stop pushing her!"

Logan looked at her as if she'd gone completely mad.

"Push her? The only direction I gotta push her is out of the Danger Room!"

"She didn't need pushing just now,"

"Well usually I gotta drag her out."

They fell into silence, each annoyed with each other. Ororo regarded the feral mutant in front of her and smiled to herself. Logan noticed this and frowned.

"What's so funny?" he said.

Ororo put her hand on Logan's shoulder.

"I seem to remember," she said, "another mutant very much like Laura who was violent and could control neither his anger nor his memories when he first came here. But over time he learned how to deal with his past. You did, Logan, and so will she."

Logan smiled. Somehow Ororo seemed to make everything better.

"Darlin' what would I ever do without ya?"

--

Laura slammed her bedroom door, let out a particularly spine-tingling growl and threw herself on the bed.

Did Logan really think she was _that_ stupid? Of course she knew this wasn't bloody Hydra! The similarities were spectacularly obvious in her opinion, but still!

She pummelled her poor pillow into a pancake then threw it against the wall. It slumped gratefully to the floor and Laura banged her head on her mattress muttering some choice words she'd learned from Logan under her breath.

So he thought she wasn't trying, huh? Well he'd soon know about it if she ever decided not to stop trying. It had taken all her self restraint not to damn well stab him!

She smirked surely to herself. And she _was_ better than him. He was just pissed that he was last year's model now. It was just his denial talking.

She was itching to get back into the Danger Room again, but no way did she want to bump into Logan again. He was most likely either trashing it himself. And even if he wasn't, he'd only draft her in to help him clear it up. Laura didn't think so; her speciality was destroying stuff, not cleaning up afterwards. Besides, it was his fault she'd stormed off. If he had to spend a few hours clearing the Danger Room, it was his own fault.

The rest of Laura's day passed in a fuzzy haze of boredom penetrated only by the occasional trip out of the room for the bathroom and other basic necessities.

She was almost glad when the other's got home. Almost but not quite, she still groaned when she heard Scott's car pull up in the drive.

It didn't take long before a she caught a familiar scent outside her door. And it wasn't two seconds after that that a very familiar body barged into her room without bothering to knock.

Laura looked up from her book to find Rogue slumping down on the end of her bed.

"Yes?" said Laura.

Rogue frowned at her.

"What're ya in such a good mood foah?"

"Nothing"

Rogue raised a sceptical eyebrow at her. Laura closed the book.

"It's not fair!" Laura snapped, "I do something wrong, he's not happy, even when I don't mean to, and then when I do something right, he's still not happy! I don't get it! What's up with him?"

Rogue didn't even need to ask who she was talking about.

"Logan's kinda like ya dad, Laura, course he ain't happy. Dads are never happy. Nothin' ya evah do's gonna live up to his expectations," she said very matter of factly, "that's just what havin' a dad's like. Or so Ah've heard, cos Ah can't remember mahne."

Laura scowled. "He is _not_ my dad!"

"Why'd he get mad in the first place?"

Thinking it might get her to leave Laura told her what had happened. Rogue was appropriately sympathetic.

"But ya did exactly what he said!" she protested.

"I know!"

Rogue moved in for a while after that much to Laura's annoyance. She was in too much of a bad mood for company. She spent the next hour listening to Rogue's gothic music while trying to finish her book. Then they were joined by their complete opposite. Kitty didn't even bother opening the door and just phased right through it. Laura rolled her eyes and huffed. What was it, National Annoy Laura Day?!

"Oh my, like, God!" Kitty cried, "Mrs Alves, like, totally failed me in Home Ec! Can you, like, believe that?!"

Laura silently rejoiced, her spirits lifted considerably by this news. Maybe this failure would put an end to the tyranny that was Kitty's cooking. She was sure Rogue was feeling the same way.

"Kitt…" Rogue began.

"I mean those cookies were totally fine!" Kitty butted in, "I didn't burn them or anything! And Belladonna, like, completely skipped half the year and she passed! This is so 'cos I'm a mutant, she totally hates us!"

"Kit, half the teachers hate us!" Rogue said.

"That is so not the point!" cried Kitty, turning a bit red in the face. Laura looked longingly down at her book wondering if they would notice if she just picked it up and carried on.

"She's always hated me," Kitty growled.

Rogue gave Laura a look and smirked.

"This wouldn't be because of the time ya gave her violent diarrhoea would it?"

"THAT WASN'T MY FAULT!" Kitty screamed springing up from the bed. She could look very scary when she wanted. Her fists were clenched and she looked quite murderous. She was always like that when it came to her cooking.

"There was never any proof that had anything to do with MY COOKIES!"

Rogue held her hands up defensively, "Ok, ok. Jeez Kit calm down! So ya failed Home Ec, big deal!"

Kitty looked at Laura demanding her opinion. Laura shrugged. Kitty sighed dramatically and flopped down on the bed.

"I hate school sometimes," she mumbled.

"Hey, Ah hate school all the tahme!"

Laura bristled at their words. At least they got to damn well go!

"So what are you two so miserable for?" Kitty said after a minute.

Rogue shrugged, "D'ya even have to ask?" she said, "We just got off school, it's Monday and we have another four days there!" She looked at Laura, "And she got in a fight with Logan,"

"What about?"

As if she wasn't even there Rogue spilt the beans even though she must have heard the indignant growl from Laura's end of the bed.

After she'd stopped talking, Kitty gazed at the wall with a frown that suggested she was thinking quite hard.

"Maybe you should go and, like, talk to him," she said

Laura perked an eyebrow, "And why would I want to do that?"

"Well, Mr Logan's kinda your dad so…"

"Why do you two keep on saying that?" said Laura, bemused, "He's not my dad he's my…my…genetic donor! He didn't make me, I was made _from_ him. I'm his clone not his daughter."

"Yeah," said Kitty, "but, like, that still makes you family…I guess."

Laura considered this. She supposed Kitty was right, they were blood related after all.

"Right, so why do I have to go talk to him?" she said, still not getting it.

"Ah'm with Laura on this one Kit," Rogue said. "Ain't her fault Logan got mad, he of all people should know where she's comin' from,"

"Yeah but Mr Logan's not gonna apologize is he," Kitty protested, "I mean he's, like, _Mr_ _Logan_, he doesn't apologize for anything!"

"So what do I have to go and talk to him for?" Laura cried.

"Because, to be perfectly honest, I hate it when Mr Logan's mad. Danger Room's always worse when he's mad about something."

"Good point," Rogue conceded, "yeah, no Ah'm with Kitty now, go talk to him,"

"Whose side are you on?!" Laura cried.

"The side where we get to spend as little time in the DR as possible," Rogue said, folding her arms and glaring at her in much the same way as Kitty was doing.

Laura glared right back. Why should she have to go talk to him? It wasn't her fault for crying out loud!

"Go on!" they both yelled.

"Hang on a second," snapped Laura, "you're throwing me out my own room?!"

They both nodded.

"Ah'll knock ya out if ya want if it makes it easier foah ya," Rogue offered pulling the glove off her right hand and leaning over threateningly. Laura ducked and rolled off the bed.

"Fine, FINE!" she yelled scrambling out of the way toward the door, "Just keep your death hand away from me!"

Nose way in the air, Laura strode out of the room instantly thinking of twenty-seven ways in which to inflict revenge on the both of them.

Grumbling Laura strode through the Mansion following the scent that was so much like hers. She was unsure of what to say she wasn't even sure why she was going to see him. Come to think of it she had no idea how the heck Kitty and Rogue had managed to get her to go in the first place.

Revenge would be sweet!

She found Logan, unsurprisingly, in the garage busy doing something to one of his bikes.

He must have known she was there but he didn't move except to lean over to his tool kit and pluck a spanner from it.

Laura blew a piece of hair from her face and went round and sat opposite him on the other side of the bike.

"What's wrong with it?"

Logan didn't look up and continued to carry on doing something to the bike.

"Cannonball wrecked it," he said with a reasonable amount of venom in his voice, "front wheel's completely screwed, so's the suspension…"

"So are your brakes," said Laura who'd been looking over and immediately spotted two potentially lethal problems on the front wheel.

"No they ain't," said Logan, his head snapping up.

"Yes they are," said Laura, "look."

She pointed to the front brake pads.

"That one's nearly in half," she said, indicating the one on her side, "and that ones too thin," she pointed to the one on Logan's side, "and you're brake fluids nearly black,"

Logan blinked as he saw she was right and reeled slightly from being corrected by a fourteen year old.

"Oh,"

"They're not so bad," Laura said eyes darting all over the problem solving it quickly in her mind, "you just have to replace the brake pads and bleed the brake fluid and it'll be fine. Just don't get the fluid on the frame or it'll eat right through it,"

"Yeah, I do know that, kid, it is my bike…hang on…ya know about bikes?" said Logan, genuinely surprised.

Laura shrugged, "Just the basics, Hydra taught me – just in case I needed a quick get away or something…"

"Well in that case," Logan said, chucking a spanner at her, "you can give me a hand,"

Laura shrugged and set about helping him fix up the bike. They worked in complete silence except to maybe ask the other to pass a tool over. Neither were great talkers, what were they supposed to talk about anyway, Logan thought, the weather? Or maybe compare notes on killing? Maybe not. No it was best just to work in silence.

Every so often Logan watched Laura work. She was by no means bounding around and singing but she didn't have that angry scowl she wore most of the time. She was a meticulous worker, every move she made was deliberate and 100 accurate. It gave him an odd feeling in his stomach. There was a twinge of pride – his DNA made up that girl and she was very good at what she did. Who wouldn't feel proud? But then there was a greater sense of sadness. She shouldn't be able to do this – she shouldn't be able to kill with such uncanny skill. She was too young, and it wasn't fair.

But maybe Ororo was right. For the most part, he'd learned control. And if he could do it, maybe she could too.

"Pass me the screwdriver, kid,"

They worked on until they smelt dinner and Logan decided to pack it up. Laura was perfectly happy to carry on working but Logan knew she hadn't eaten all day. They cleaned off the oil from their hands and made their way into the Mansion. Laura turned to Logan.

"Can I ride the bike?"

Logan stopped dead.

"Can ya ride the bike?" he repeated, slowly.

"Yeah,"

"How can I say this?" Logan pondered, "No."

"Why not?" Laura moaned as Logan headed back off towards the dining room.

"Did you see the state of the Danger Room?" Logan said, "I don't want that happening to my bike!"

"Oh come on I won't break it!"

"Coming from you, kid, that means absolutely nothing. Where are you gonna ride it anyway, ya ain't allowed out!"

Laura didn't answer. Realisation dawned on Logan.

"Oh!" he said, "Nice try, kid, but I still ain't letting ya out!"

Laura folded her arms and growled under her breath.

"It was worth a try," she mumbled.

"Kid," Logan said as they entered the bustling dining room, "you're impossible, ya know that?"

This made Laura very nearly smile.

"It's been said,"

--

I'm not sure I like this very much its very dialogue heavy. I really hope I got the other characters right – Rogue in particular. Laura I can do to a certain extent but the others I'm not sure about. Again I'd love your opinions so I can improve.

Also it's probably painfully obvious but I don't know the first thing about motorbikes, except that they look very cool, especially Logan's orange one! So I'm extremely sorry if I got that section completely wrong.

Yeah and Mrs Alves was my Home Ec teacher and seeing as she failed me (completely unfair, its not my fault the microwave exploded - how was I supposed to know putting a tin can in there wasn't a good idea?!) I used her name for Kitty's too.

Next Chapter: The adults are called away to an emergency summit in Washington DC. Laura has enough of being cooped up and runs off with Rogue and meets a certain someone and his merry band of ragamuffins. (Lol, like that word:-P)


	3. Home Time 3:4Enter the Brotherhood

Dear Lord this is late…I mean really late! I had a major falling out with this chapter and we didn't speak for like a month! But luckily we made up and thus I present Chapter three!

Shout outs to mine reviewers!

Ladylovey: Aw! Thank you so much! I am bright red of course but glowing inside. I hope you like this one! Much love!

xme2: Well I didn't know that! I have a slight problem what with my brain being missing, can't you tell? Lol! Glad u like the story!

PurplePoof: I agree I always thought it was a shame too. Though in Xavier's vision she comes back so I guess this is like bridging the gap or something. cough yep definitely updated sooner than the last cough cough

allyg1990: Yay! I got her right! Kitty and Home Ec is like prawns with jelly i.e. not good as I found out one drunken evening last December. Lol. I've read A Troubled Past and one other that I can't seem to remember the name of. That's terrible isn't it?! You can shoot me if you like! Are you carrying on with ATP by the way?

natdrat00: Cool, glad I wasn't making Logan blow it up or anything. I could be getting anything off of Wiki and I'd never know, lol. Yeah, her likes were, like, way off! Note to self; don't edit chapter at 4 in the morning!

Rose of Hope: Yes, yes I did! It was one of my crowning achievements at school. That and pushing the Head Girl off stage once. It was an accident I swear! Hee hee Lol! I like pudding mix it's so easy to make a mess with. I have issues I know! What does Deu Sa mean BTW? Am I being really thick in not knowing?

Terez: Harsh? Harsh?! Of what speaketh thou? If you think Logan is being harsh here then you're gonna keel over at – what is it, chapter 15-ish? Now _that_, my friend, is harsh. I think I've just read your amended version, but I'm not sure. Damn it why won't my brain function today, I can't remember anything! cries hysterically in the corner

Disclaimer: Wolverine, Captain America and Iron man all came round my house last night and blackmailed me into not taking over Marvel…shudders Therefore I still own nothing! Neither so I own Spongebob Squarepants. Or Within Temptation. Oh the Injustice!

BTW I have no idea how American's elect Senators and when I tried to look it up I just got confused. Hell I don't even know how we elect our Government over here exactly so I have no hope in hell of getting this right, therefore (as it is not particularly important to Laura's story) please just bear with me and kinda fill in the gaps cos I'm behind and late as it is. Sorry xx

Chapter 3:**Enter the Brotherhood**

The week rolled on and Friday afternoon came round and all was peaceful in the mansion.

Which right away told Logan that something was wrong.

Usually the Institute was wracked with problems, especially on a Friday when everyone was buzzing with end of week adrenaline and at the weekend, when all the freaking kids were home. Everything went wrong at the weekend, at least three people ended up in the infirmary, the bathrooms would either be iced or melted, several appliances would blow up and for good measure the occasional support wall would crumble in to dust. That wasn't to mention attacks from the FOH on a regular basis. Or the frequent trouble they got from the Brotherhood.

But today everything was quiet and peaceful. He might even be allowed to read the paper without the damn Princess or the blasted Australian burning it before he got to page four.

Therefore, Logan's logical, if slightly paranoid mind concluded that something must be terribly wrong.

He found the majority of the students as well as the staff in the rec room perched on chairs, crammed on the couches and squashed up against the walls all focussed on the wide screen TV.

"What's goin' on?" he said to the general audience. He was greeted by a loud "Shh!" Ororo leaned over.

"Robert Kelly's been elected as Senator," she said, "he's just announced that he's going to be making a speech in an hour."

"Well, this should be good," Logan grumbled.

"I think we need to go to Washington," said the Professor, thoughtfully.

On screen the newly elected Senator Kelly was shown bombarded by press climbing into a black limousine.

"I think you're right," Hank said, worriedly.

The Professor turned to Logan and Ororo.

"I'd like you both there," he said.

While Logan silently died inside (he hated politics) Ororo said; "What about the children?"

"Scott and Jean are perfectly capable of looking after things for a few hours," the Professor answered.

Behind him Scott paled, Jean beamed proudly and the kids exchanged mischievous grins.

Logan pinched the bridge of his nose.

"We ain't gonna have a house after this," he said surely.

"Logan I have total confidence in Scott and Jean's ability…"

"It'll be a pile of rubble, I'm telling ya!" Logan said, turning on his heel and walking out the door. "Just wait and see!"

"Logan…"

"PILE OF RUBBLE!"

--

'_Oooooh! Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?! Spongebob Squarepants! Absorbent and yellow and porous is he! Spongebob Squarepants!'_

"This show defies all logic,"

"It's a cartoon, Laura, it ain't supposed ta make sense. Its entertainment!"

About an hour after the adults had left Laura and Rogue were sat in the rec room watching the substitute babysitter aka the television. Laura had been pulled aside by Logan and given a very stern warning that under no circumstances was she to leave the house. Even if the building caught fire he expected her to be in there – maybe clutching a fire extinguisher.

"I still don't understand how a series of moving images can count as entertainment," said Laura. "Not to mention the fact it's about a sponge living in a pineapple under the sea! I mean – just how stupid to the people who make it think their audience it – come on no ones idiotic enough to like this…"

At that moment there was a cry and Roberto, Kurt, Ray and Jamie came hurtling into the lounge and launched themselves onto the sofa next to Laura and Rogue.

"Yeah, Spongebob Squarepants, man!" cried Kurt grabbing the remote from Rogue and turning the volume up full blast.

"SPONGEBOB SQUARPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANTS!" all four joined in the last bit of the theme tune.

Laura blinked. "Never mind."

Five or so minutes later whilst Spongebob Squarepants was busy masquerading as a wishing well and a thing called Patrick was giggling incessantly, Rogue turned back to Laura whose head was about to explode with the ridiculousness of it all.

"Bored?"

"Yep?"

"Wanna do something?"

"Like?"

Rogue smirked.

"The Mall,"

"The Mall?"

"S'what I said!"

Laura frowned, "The Mall's outside,"

"No shit Sherlock!" Rogue said, "wanna go or not?"

Laura pondered this for a minute.

"I can't,"

"'Cos Logan said?"

"I'm not allowed outside,"

"Oh come on – ya gotta be bored stiff with this place!"

"Well…"

"And besides, the adults hardly ever leave us on our own anymore! Not since Apocalypse and all that…"

"Apocalypse?" Laura frowned.

"Oh God yeah, ya weren't there." Rogue waved a hand dismissively, "Long story, tell ya later. Point is, what Logan doesn't know, won't hurt us."

She did have a point. The grown-ups would be gone all afternoon and as long as she was back…no, no absolutely not there was still…

"Hydra don't know ya here Laura,"

"Are you psychic or something?"

"I'm a gal of many talents! The look on ya face gave ya away. But seriously if they knew ya were here they'd've stormed the place by now!"

"Maybe…" Laura said uncertainly. She _was_ bored of this place. And one more minute of the sponge was surely going to drive her insane. It was only a couple of hours…

"What about Scott and Jean?"

Right on cue there was a loud BANG! Then came the sound of someone hurtling down the stairs followed closely by…

"TABITHA SMITH, GET BACK HERE RIGHT THIS MINUTE!"

There came a CRASH directly above them.

"YAAAAAAAH!!"

"BOBBY!"

"I've got it!"

"Amara, no!"

"YEEEOOOOW!"

Rogue raised an eyebrow and grinned, "They're busy,"

Above them the ceiling began to glow ominously. This chaos was going to dive her nuts!

"Ok, fine let's go," sighed Laura, "but I don't wanna be gone long."

"Nah, we'll be back way before the adults get home!"

They got to the door when suddenly Laura remembered something.

"What about them?" she said jerking her head towards the four zombified boys. Rogue shrugged.

"Guys? Guys! GUYS!"

There was no sign of life from any of them. They continued to stare misty eyed at the television.

"Kurt ya tail's on fire!"

Still nothing.

"I don't think they're gonna be a problem."

With that Rogue lead the way out of the Mansion amidst a chorus of bangs, smashes and yelling.

--

It seemed to Logan, that no matter how many times they saved this blue and green marble, whether from Apocalypse, Magneto or the damn Plague, people were always going to hate them. So it seemed as Logan, Hank, the Professor and Ororo stood way at the back of a crowd of around five thousand people. For such a short notice speech it sure was a big turn-out.

Senator Robert Kelly himself was stood at a podium on the steps of the Capitol Building flanked by two American flags and several burly body guards.

"My fellow Americans," Kelly began, "there is a threat growing amongst us, one I feel we cannot afford to ignore any longer! Mutants are very real! They are on our streets, they are in our stores and on our roads, our offices, our hospitals – there are mutants with the power to kill your children in our very schools!"

There was uproar at this last statement. Roars of rage erupted from the crowd.

Kelly readjusted himself into something of a self-righteous pose. "In my time as the Principle of a High School in New York I have seen explosions, earthquakes, collapsing buildings and rampaging monsters – all of which came from the mutants. Some of these mutants have powers that can be used as weapons. We don't allow guns in our schools. Therefore why should we allow them?!"

More tumultuous cheering and applause.

"The one thing that bothers me more than the severity and danger these people pose, is that no one really knows how many there are! They could be living in your street, they could be living next door. These people need to be monitored, they need to be registered! We need to know who these mutants are – and above all we need to know what they can do!"

The applause now turned into a near thunderstorm. Logan had heard enough. He turned on his heel and stormed away, pulling a cigar out of his pocket as he did. Once he got far enough away from the crowd – down a couple of streets and round a couple of corners until he could just about drown out the cheers of the anti-mutant crowd out as he ducked into an alleyway- he lit up.

He felt instantly calmer as he took his first drag of his cigar. Godamn he hated politics! Bunch of self-righteous pricks doing whatever they could to gain power and money! Sitting around for hours talking and doing exactly fuck-all occasionally making an unimportant speech. And then, very rarely one of them emerged like Kelly who actually had an opinion about something. More worryingly this opinion was garnering support. And it wasn't good news for them.

Logan caught a scent on the wind. The second he did his muscles tensed again. The scent was a mixture of cigarettes, helicopter fuel, and that smell of secrecy and mystery that was unmistakeable to those who knew it well.

"Fury?" Logan growled, "What're you doing here?"

Colonel Nick Fury didn't answer immediately; he came from behind to stand beside Logan.

"Interesting guy that Kelly,"

"Yeah," scoffed Logan, "interesting the way an anaconda is interesting."

"He's got a lot of support out there," Fury observed.

"Ya telling me, bub. Look as much as I'm enthralled by this conversation Fury, you and I both know that's not what you're here for."

Fury very nearly laughed. Damn this man knew him too well.

"Fine," said Fury, "have it your way. How's the girl?"

Logan turned to face the patched Colonel full in the face, "I told ya once Fury, and I'll tell ya again; ya _ain't_ havin' her!"

"Oh, aren't I?"

"No ya damn well ain't!" Logan growled, squaring right up to Fury, "Ya think I'm just gonna let ya take 'er and use 'er like Hydra did?" He gave a short humourless bark-like laugh, "No way, no how."

"And do you think I can just let her go?" said Fury, "She's killed _hundreds_, Logan…"

"And I've probably killed thousands!" Logan argued, "And I don't see you pulling me in!"

Fury ignored this last bit. "Do you think you can control her, Wolverine?"

"She doesn't need controlling, bub," Logan snapped, "what she needs is help getting all that screwed up shit Hydra put in her head _out_ of her head."

Fury paused, then very slowly he smiled.

"I thought you might say that," he said. "I'm glad you did too because my superiors want the girl incarcerated with a bunch of shrinks…"

Logan growled at this, "She _ain't_ ill."

"That's what I said. I've convinced them to let her stay with you at the Institute. But you're the one who's going to be responsible for whatever that kid does! And if she goes off the rails, Logan, then we're takin' her in."

"You'll have one hell of a job, bub,"

"She may be just a kid, Logan, but she's dangerous…she can stay with you, but don't think we won't be keeping an eye on her."

"I'll be doing that plenty, Fury. She ain't gonna hurt anyone. She's my responsibility and I'll be dead before I let SHIELD get their hands on her…"

"Good, then you might be needing these,"

Fury reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a thick wad of papers and handed them to Logan. Logan looked over them. He frowned.

"These are adoption papers," he said.

Fury nodded. "Give them to her on Sunday. Her birthday right?"

Logan nodded. "How'd you find out?"

"Kinney told me,"

Rage filled Logan at the sound of that woman's name. The day he'd first met Laura he'd met that scientist, Sarah Kinney, who out of greed and an unnatural thirst to push the boundaries of science had created Laura for those Hydra bastards to abuse for the next fourteen years. How he wished he could sink his claws into that vile woman's chest and be rid of her.

The Professor had found the date out when he'd gone to see Kinney himself soon after Laura had attacked the Institute. He and Hank had become absolutely fixated on the impossibility they saw Laura as, Logan had lost count of the amount of times he had walked in on them discussing animatedly how impossible it was that Laura was not a gibbering wreck due to lack of any positive human contact. Finally having come up with precious few answers the Professor had gone to see Kinney. Laura's birthday was just one bit of information he'd come back with.

"What about Hydra?" This was a question that had been bothering Logan ever since Laura had taken down Madame Viper – not just for Laura's sake, but for the other kids at the Institute. If Hydra came there then…he couldn't even think about it.

"There's no trace of them," Fury said, "they're gone, completely obliterated thanks to your kid and her little vigilante act a few months back - and if I didn't know better I'd say it was permanent."

"But you _do_ know better,"

"And so do you. You know as well as I do that Hydra won't die. They may be gone for the moment but they'll be back. No prizes for guessing who they'll be coming after."

Logan nodded silently digesting this news. "But they're gone for the moment."

"As far as we can tell – yes."

Fury nodded to the papers in Logan's hand, "Might be just what X-23 needs…don't you think?"

"Her name's Laura, Fury." Logan folded the papers up again and slipped them into his pocket.

Fury nodded.

"Think about it Logan. And remember – we'll be watching."

With that the Colonel left, leaving the Wolverine with an awful lot to think about.

--

Laura really didn't like the mall. It was far too big for one. All her life in a prison had left her with some degree of claustrophobia meaning in small spaces were not her most favourite places to be, and it seemed to have reversed as well to a point.

Secondly it was far too crowded, big crowds worried Laura, anyone could be hiding amongst them, and it was nigh on impossible to find a Hydra scent in amongst the many hundreds of bustling, hormone crazed teenagers out on a Friday afternoon no matter how good her senses were.

The first store she'd been dragged into was one of Rogue's music stores. Rogue had headed straight for the Gothic Metal section and started flicking through some plastic cases emblazoned with the words 'Within Temptation' on them. Laura had spent many an hour listening to Rogue's music at first hating it, then tolerating it and now – much to her shock – she found herself quite liking it. They spent a good half hour in there stocking Laura up on every record she'd probably ever need then headed out for their next stop. Clothes.

Laura followed Rogue through a selection of seemingly endless red, purple, blue and black clothes. Rogue dumped a truckload of stuff into Laura's arms. She tried, unsuccessfully to get Laura even remotely interested in picking anything out. She was far too busy shooting worried looks around trying to pick up any sign that Hydra were near. She'd wanted to escape from the Mansion and the chaos running riot but now she was out she was nervous, she was scared and she was wishing she was back there.

Finally fed up with Laura's distinct disinterest Rogue had forced her into the changing rooms to try some stuff on. Laura had only agreed to stop her bitching about it. She tried on everything Rogue had thrust upon her. She stared at her reflection. Rogue had insisted that she'd feel like a different girl with all of this on. She looked herself up and down from the knee high black boots to the mid-thigh black skirt the belt with the silver X (Rogue had been very pleased with herself for that one!) and the black and white top that was kinda half t-shirt, half a corset type thing (_I have one of them! Kinda hard to describe though!) _to the gothic rose on a chain hanging from her neck – she just looked like X-23 the same as she'd always been, she didn't feel different at all. She just felt uncomfortable – more uncomfortable than ever in this ill-fitting skin of humanity.

"What's it look like?" Rogue called.

Laura forced her face into something resembling a smile and forced herself to say, "It looks good."

They'd paid for the clothes (they'd decided to leave them at the back of Rogue's wardrobe for a bit then say that Rogue had grown out of them and Laura had nicked them. Anything else and they'd get found out pretty quick) then grabbed something to eat in the food court. Laura had picked apart the burger and with a couple of sniffs had announced that this was definitely _not_ meat and had stuck with the fries.

They found themselves with another hour before they had to be back and as they walked through the mall looking for somewhere else to shop. Suddenly Rogue spied what she was looking for and stopped dead. Laura raised her eyebrows quizzically.

"Come on let's go get your hair dyed," Rogue said, nodding towards a salon.

"Dyed?"

"Yeah," said Rogue, "like, get a different colour in it."

Laura frowned, "Is this a 'normal' thing?"

"Yeah, kinda,"

"Oh…well…ok, I guess…"

Rogue beamed, then grabbed her arm and dragged her off in the direction of the salon, "Come on, I know exactly what to do with it. You're gonna look great!"

--

Laura and Rogue walked along the wooded road that led to the Mansion in complete silence. Laura kept on fiddling with her new hair feeling dreadfully uncomfortable. If Hydra saw her now, they'd laugh at her. And now that she had time to think about it, how exactly was she supposed to explain this to Logan?

"Ya hair looks great, stop playing with it!" cried Rogue for the hundredth time.

Laura had had quite a bit of her black hair chopped off. She had only had it cut once before when she'd been a bout four or five. It had been getting a bit too long for any sort of training; it was much more practical now. The blue streaks, she wasn't so sure about. But as Rogue had said it was a normal thing to do so she'd ended up spending twenty dollars of Rogue's money getting it done.

Laura managed a nod.

"Glad ya came out?" Rogue goaded.

Laura shrugged, "I guess,"

'_More glad to be going back though'_

"Come on, ya got some decent clothes, decent music what's so…Laura?"

At that second Laura stopped dead. The wind had shifted and she'd caught numerous scents in the air. Scents she didn't like. She could hear noises too, rustling footsteps in the woods surrounding them. Laura dropped the shopping bags.

"What is it?" Rogue hissed.

Laura listened a little longer. She was sure.

"We're not alone," she said.

At that moment the bushes around them rustled and four figures emerged from them.

"Oh great," Rogue mumbled under her breath.

A more varied and down right weird looking bunch of people Laura had never seen. They would have intrigued her had they not have sneaked up on them. Beating them into sometime in the middle of next month was top agenda right now.

"Alright Sheilas!" one with flaming orange hair said in an accent Laura quickly identified as Australian. He had a mad, manic grin on his face and he twirled a lighter in his right hand.

"So this is the new girl,"

The one dead in front of Rogue and Laura stepped forward and Laura instantly go the notion that he was the leader of whoever these guys were. Of which she was getting a pretty good idea. He had a mullet of brown hair, was tall and lanky with messy, torn clothing. Laura knew instantly who he was. Kitty had enough pictures of her boyfriend Lance Alvers to wallpaper her and Rogue's room.

Laura ran her eyes over the rest of the boys surrounding them. One was utterly enormous, tall and large wearing a white t-shirt and blue denim dungarees. The one next to him was crouching down; his yellow eyes darting following a fly that buzzed around him until with a sickening squelch a long green tongue shot out snatching it from the air.

"You must be the Brotherhood," Laura stated. They had a bit of a reputation with the X-Men; it was hard not to go one day without their names being mentioned. But they were a bit short on numbers, Laura observed. From what she knew about them she knew the Australian was St John Alderdyce codenamed Pyro, the huge boy was Freddie Dukes the Blob, and last of all was Todd Tolensky the Toad and of course Avalanche. That left three others that were absent, the twins Wanda and Pietro Maximoff and the one they called Gambit, Remy LeBeau. The one named Colossus had gone back to Russia many months previously and no one had seen hide nor tail of Sabertooth all year much to Logan's fury.

"That's right, yo!" said Toad.

"What d'ya guys want, we're kinda busy!" Rogue snapped.

The ground rumbled, and flames erupted from Pyro's hand.

"To see what she's like," said Avalanche.

Rogue and Laura exchanged a look.

"Oh."

Instantly the flame's twisted and became a giant eagle that dived down towards them. Rogue dived out the way but Laura flipped forward and rolled underneath it missing the flames by inches. Once clear she leapt to her feet whipped round, her foot lashed out and knocked the lighter from Pyro's hand. The eagle died and he cursed. The word hadn't left his mouth before Laura had spun around again and her elbow had made crunching contact with Pyro's face. He was out before he hit the ground.

To her right Rogue leapt out of the way of a glob of Toad's slime. It missed by inches and instead hit Blob squarely in the face. He howled and tore at the slime covering his eyes.

Laura was knocked from her feet as a crack tore through the pavement. Avalanche's eyes had rolled up inside his head and he clenched his fist as he made tremors rip through the ground. Laura growled and launched herself from the ground, her feet landing solidly on Avalanche's chest. He catapulted backwards, slamming into a tree. He slumped to the ground, he too out cold.

Something slammed into Laura and she was hurled to the ground again. Her head snapped up and she saw Toad bounding up and down. She snarled and sprung to her feet. He leapt at her. Laura sensed who was behind her waiting for him. At the last second she ducked, Toad missed and Rogue threw a well aimed punch. Toad spun in the air and fell on his head in a heap.

"RRRRRRAAAAAHHHH!"

Laura and Rogue leapt sideways as Blob, who'd managed to tear the slime from his face barrelled through them.

Out of the corner of her eye Laura spotted something glinting against a tree. She caught it just before it zipped off into the woods as a blur of air and whipped up leaves. It smelt like Brotherhood. She growled and ran off after it dashing through the trees fuelled now by how thoroughly pissed off she was.

"Laura!" Rogue yelled then ducked as Blob through a clumsy punch at her head. Something fluttered down between them. As it settled on the floor Rogue dived again out of the way as she recognized a glowing ace of spades. Blob was not so quick on the uptake and he took the full force of the explosion and was thrown backwards with great Thud! Instantly Rogue was up. She tugged the gloves from her hands and grabbed Blob's head. There was a Zap and Blob was knocked cold. A red eyed Cajun wearing a trench coat and playing with a deck of cards stepped into her view. Rogue wiped her hands on her jeans with disgust.

"What the hell ya doin' here, Cajun?"

Remy LeBeau smirked, "Came to give you a hand, chere,"

He looked around at the fallen boys. Rogue shrugged.

"What makes ya think Ah need help, Swamp Rat?"

Remy grinned, "Shoulda known ya can take care o' yaself, chere. Remy was only lookin' out for ya,"

"Yeah, well, Ah don't need ya lookin' out for meh! And why the hell are ya out here anyway?"

"Is Remy not even allowed ta go for a walk now? Last I heard dis here was a free country!"

"Swamp Rat!"

Remy put his hands in the air defensively.

"We came to find dese guys!" he said, "dey've blown de cable, and we ain't none too happy 'bout it!"

"We?"

"Yeah me and Quicksilver. We saw Pyro's fire bird and he ran on ahead."

Rogue glanced up at the woods, "So that's who Laura ran afta,"

Remy frowned, "Laura?"

"New girl, X-23, Logan's clone,"

Rogue blew a white streak from her forehead. "Gotta go afta her," she conceded.

Remy slipped the cards into his coat, sidled up next to her and offered her an arm.

"Care ta go for a walk in de woods, Cherie?"

Rogue sneered and went off without him.

Remy sighed, "Ya can't blame a Cajun for tryin'!"

"Yes Ah can!" came his answer. Remy grinned to himself, then followed her in.

--

Laura stood very, very still, listening to the sounds around her, waiting for the owner of this scent to show themselves.

She had tracked the new scent to a clearing a hundred feet or so into the woods. She frowned to herself. She couldn't exactly pinpoint where this person was. Their scent was everywhere as if they had the ability to be in multiple places at once or at the very least be able to…travel…very…quickly…

Ah! Realisation dawned. This must be Quicksilver.

He might have been quick, but Laura's hearing was exemplary. Behind her she heard the barely audible sounds of someone moving very quickly towards her.

At the opportune moment Laura lashed out and caught her attacker full in the face. The blur slowed in front of her and turned into a teen a little older than her with bright sapphire eyes and shimmering silver hair.

"You must be Quicksilver," Laura observed.

The boy pinched the bridge of his nose and shot her a dark look.

"Dammit that was my NOSE!"

"Your point?"

"It's _bleeding_!"

"That was the idea."

The silver haired boy straightened up still pinching his nose which was dripping blood and glared at her.

"Guess you're the newest X-Geek," he said in a rather nasally voice.

"X-Geek?"

"Yeah X-Geek," he said, "you're the new chick they took in a few weeks ago,"

"Chick?"

The boy frowned, "Are you for real?" he exclaimed shaking his head disbelievingly and dropping his hand from his nose.

'SNIKT'

Laura was irritated now, very irritated, not only had she failed to knock him senseless but now he was confusing her. He was asking for it in other words. If she was still with Hydra she'd have probably just have killed him and be done with it. But this was not allowed in the real world, so the Wolverine sounding voice in her head said.

At the sight of her claws, a look of realisation spread across the boy's face and he smirked evilly

"Oh!" he said, "You're X-23! Wolverine's Mini-Me!"

"Wolverine's what?" Laura snarled raising her claws making sure they glinted in the sunlight streaming through the gap in the trees.

"Mini-Me," the boy said, "it means you're the miniature version of him."

Laura took one menacing step towards him closing the gap between them to mere inches. She let her claws fall, threatening a very sensitive area. The boy glanced down.

"Didn't they clone you a sense of humour?" he said.

"Start making sense right now," Laura said.

The pain in his nose seemingly forgotten the boy continued.

"I'm Pietro Maximoff," he said.

"I know," said Laura.

The boy leaned in toward her.

"You know," he said, dropping his voice to a whisper, "this is the part when you tell me _your_ name. Just so you know,"

If he wasn't annoying her so much she would laugh. At him, of course, not with him.

"Is it now," Laura said.

"Yep," he said, "So?"

"So what?"

"Your name,"

"What about it?"

"What is it?"

"What is what?"

The boy sighed exasperatedly, "_What_ _is your name_?"

"Laura!"

Laura rolled her eyes as Rogue emerged from the tree line with a red-eyed mutant who smelled of cigarettes and ionized air.

Rogue looked from Laura with her claws out to Pietro with blood still dripping down his nose onto his otherwise pristine white shirt.

"Stop messin' around, Laura, we gotta get back!" Rogue snapped.

"He started it!"

"Hey!" cried Pietro, "_You_ broke _my_ nose, how exactly did I start it?!"

Laura shrugged, "Shouldn't have snuck up behind me then."

Rogue stepped in-between the two fuming teens, "Look, as much as Ah wanna see how this plays out – we're gonna die if the adults get back before us."

And as much as she wanted to beat Quicksilver up Laura agreed. She sheathed her claws.

"Guess so,"

"What, you just gonna fucking leave me like this!" cried Pietro, clutching his nose which was still bleeding.

"Well what do you want me to do, kiss is better?" Laura snapped.

Pietro smirked, "Well, kissing – now we're getting somewhere."

Remy leant over to Rogue, "Remy tinks he sees a bit o' de old love brewin'!" he sang.

Laura growled, "Why you…!"

Rogue grabbed her before Quicksilver lost his head.

"Not now!" she snapped and dragged Laura away back towards their fallen stuff.

Pietro swore under his breath when he saw the state of his shirt.

"Yeah, you'd better run!" he yelled, "I'd better not see you again, little girl!"

"Funny," Laura yelled back, "'Cos I was about to say the same thing to you!"

"Fuck you!"

The girls disappeared. Remy stepped in front of Pietro and grinned, stifling a laugh.

"Mon ami, you be 'avin' a way wit da ladies!"

Back on the road Rogue thrust the bags back to Laura.

"Who the hell does he think he is?!" Laura yelled storming off down the road, "Sneaking up on me – insulting me! What a fucking idiot!"

"Yep that's Pietro foah ya!" Rogue agreed, "He's a complete ass, damn egotistical maniac – takes after his father!"

"Yeah well he's a jerk!"

"Damn straight, he's even betrayed the Brotherhood! Still can't figure out why the hell they took him back!"

"Why'd he do that?" Laura asked as they entered the gates of the Mansion and made their way up the drive,

"Got him back into his father's good books, didn't it!"

Laura sneered, "What a Daddy's boy!"

'_Idiot,' _she thought, '_damn, I should've run him through –no one insults me! Well that's not true – but no one insults me _anymore_! Prat!'_

"Hey was that Gambit?"

Now it was Rogue's turn to look angry.

"Yep, that's the Swamp Rat, and if ya think Pietro's annoying then ya ain't seen nothin'!"

"Why what's he done?"

"He's practically stalking meh! Won't damn well leave meh alone!"

Laura was confused, "Why don't you just use your powers on him?"

Rogue snorted, "Yeah and have him stuck in mah head all the tahme! I don't think so!"

By now they'd reached the front door and were still bitching animatedly about the boys. They dropped their voices as they slipped in through the front door and closed it without making a sound.

"Now all we gotta do it sneak in without Jean and Scott seein' us and we'll be…shit…"

The two girls stopped dead. Logan, the Professor, Ororo and Hank all stood in the middle of the foyer. And boy did they look pissed off.

--

Tut, tut, tut, bad children are in trouble.

Just so you know, I happen to love Spongebob Squarepants – makes me giggle like a mad woman.

I love kicking the Brotherhood's arses! Well technically _I _didn't but…ah well you know what I mean! That line of Pietro's about cloning Laura a sense of humour comes from Julian Keller in the comics. I thought it was a particularly funny line of his so I gave it to Pietro. Pietro is such a jerk! And that is why I love him.

Again I'm sorry its so late - but this chapter turned into a lot of effort! It was eighteen bloody pages long!

Next Chapter: Laura's very first birthday party. You just know it's gonna be a complete disaster don't you! My lateness means I probably don't deserve reviews but if I pull my puppy dog eyes on you, how can you possibly refuse? Angel, x


	4. Home Time 4:4 The Weapon's 1st Birthday

SPOILERS!! If ya'll haven't read X-Men Divided we Stand no 1 and want to LOOK AWAY NOW!!

All hail the X-Men, people. Yes for I – an unashamed avid comic book reader have just found out that my beloved Julian Keller aka Hellion is alive! Woohoo! I am rather slow on the update as this apparently happened a couple of months ago. Oh well, if he's alive then he's alive and that's all that counts. Now I just have to wait for him to join X-Force and for him and Laura to get together and have many babies. What? Don't look at me like that, I know I'm weird!

And for all those of you in the UK and who watched I'd Do Anything on BBC 1 all hail JODIE the new Nancy! My favourite from the beginning she survived the torrent of bias from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Co towards Jessie (who was fab on the night btw) to come out on top! You go girl I'm coming to see yo in January!

END SPOILERS!

If I could hug you all for the reviews I would. But then I would be a complete freak for travelling all over the world to hug you guys and then I wouldn't be able to write this! And one of you may shoot me for intruding. Then I'd be dead – and that'd be bad. Anyway I send you all virtual hugs! Via the net. Here you go!

firefly: Yo, have I told you, you have a wicked name? Fan of the TV show or of the bug? Lol, thankies for the review!

Abbs of the faeries: Is this update soon enough for you? Lol, I'm getting slightly better at updating now. Yes! Another Xietro fan! Spread the love, spread the love! Well, will it be an Xietro or not? You have to stay tuned to find out! Lol, I'm called Evil Angel for a reason you know! Thanks for reviewing!

PurplePoof: Glad you're still tuning in I'm trying to get better at updating on time. There's a recap for ya further down. Much love!

Terez: Thanks for the continuing support. Love! I reviewed, I reviewed! It was fab but you know that already, and thanks for the review reply!

allyg1990: Aw thank you! I was worried that absolutely no one would find the funny bits funny and would instead think I'm more of a freak than they do already, but glad to see someone else gets that boys singing Spongebob Squarepants is in fact extremely hilarious (take that therapist! ahem) That conversation of Logan and Fury's is actually my favourite part of the story so far so I'm glad you enjoyed. Ta for the review reply btw! I love that story!

And a little bit of hugs for the new people reviewing LOASM.

Ladylovey: Yes, yes it was sad. That's what I do best! Ta for the review, hun!

Dattatreya: Thanks. (Sorry, one word review, one word reply. But really though, thank you!)

Especially for the PurplePoof and anyone else who forgets what happens between chapters (seriously who doesn't, I do and I wrote the damn things!):

(Adopts deep, scary voiceover voice, y'all know the type)

Previously, on X-Men: Evolution … X-23 now called Laura joins the Xavier Institute (How? You don't know … maybe y'all find out later in the story … hint, hint.) Withdrawn and grumpy, Laura basically wrecks the DR one too many times for Logan's liking and they fight. After a bemusing talk with her pseudo-mates Rogue and Kitty, Laura and Logan make up over bikes (Aaaaaw, sweet … kinda). In chapter 3 Robert Kelly somehow became a Senator and the adults went to Washington DC to hear his anti-mutant speech and a grand time was had by all. Logan meets up with Colonel Nick Fury and Furious tells him that Hydra are gone for the moment – but this won't last. Fury also hands Logan a set of adoption papers stating that this might be just what X-23 needs. Laura and Rogue sneak out and go shopping much to Laura's disgust. They are then set upon by the Brotherhood on the way back to the Mansion. They – of course – beat their arses and Laura meets a certain silver haired speedster and they get on fabulously! There is much blood and insults and everyone left feeling all warm and fuzzy! Oh, and the girls were caught by the adults sneaking back in. For shame!

I don't usually do this but seeing as I'm in such a damn good mood knowing the good news above and the fact it was my BIRTHDAY ahem a few days ago I thought I'd share some love.

This Chapter is dedicated to all my fabbity fab fab reviewers especially the wicked Terez and allyg1990 who've reviewed all the chapters so far! You guys make my day with your support.

Now enough with the mushy stuff and on with the carnage!

One more thing – sorry – I know I said in the last chapter that Laura's birthday is on Sunday well I was wrong – that's right WRONG! It's Saturday. And if the computer would just cooperate then I would change it. But its not, so I can't.

Oh yeah and I own nothing … still … bugger …

Chapter 4: **The Weapon's First Birthday**

"So you two got grounded, huh?"

Kitty, Rogue and Laura were – as was becoming usual – sat in Laura's room that Friday evening. All three were lounging about on her bed listening to Within Temptation's 'The Cross' out of Laura's new collection.

"Yep." said Rogue.

"For how long?"

"Two months," grumbled Laura.

"Geez," said Kitty, "what did they say?"

**One hour earlier**

_Rogue and Laura exchanged a look. Laura folded her arms defiantly across her chest and Rogue blew her fringe out of her eyes as they waited in the Professor's office for the four angry adults to say something._

_Of course it was Logan who started._

"_You know kid; I coulda sworn I told ya to stay put!"_

"_You did."_

"_Then what the hell d'ya think ya were doin'!" he roared._

_Laura shrugged. "It was her fault."_

"_What?!" Rogue cried, rounding on Laura._

"_Well you're the one who suggested it…"_

"_Ya didn't have ta come!"_

"_You were the one who said I must be bored stiff and that it would all be fine!" Laura yelled back, "In fact I think your exact words were 'what Logan doesn't know won't hurt us!'"_

_Logan raised his eyebrows at Rogue who cringed and turned red._

"_Oh ya did, did ya Stripes?"_

"_No I did not!" Rogue cried._

"_Yes you did."_

"_No I didn't!"_

"_Yes you did!"_

"_No I _didn't_!"_

"_Yes you _did_!"_

"_No I…!"_

"_Enough, girls please!"_

_Rogue stopped mid yell and both looked at the Professor._

"_You both are grounded."_

"_What?!"_

"_What's grounded?"_

"_I means," said Logan, "no TV, no goin' out and no Danger Room!"_

"_Yes!" said Rogue, punching the air._

"_For her," said Logan, raining on Rogue's parade, "double for you!"_

"_Dammit! How long for?_

"_Two months!"_

Kitty winced. "God, they sounded really mad at you two!"

Laura said nothing. That wasn't all Logan had said to her. He'd waited until they'd been dismissed then followed them out, pulling Laura aside and sending Rogue upstairs.

"_Just what the hell d'ya think ya were doing?" he said. "D'ya have any idea what could've happened to ya out there …?"_

"_You were with Fury,"_

"_Huh?"_

_Laura yanked her arm out of his grasp, "I smelt him on you. What were you with SHIELD for?"_

_Logan grimaced, "It ain't what ya think."_

"_What do I think?" Laura snapped, "SHIELD's just the same as Hydra, they want to bring me in and use me again and you were … you said you'd …!"_

"_I know what I said, kid," Logan interrupted her, "do ya really think I'd let him have ya? No. So don't insult me like that, ok?"_

_Laura felt her cheeks burn. "So what did he want?" she demanded._

_Logan calmed. Damn, this was about the only child in the world who could get him this riled up so quickly._

"_He wanted to tell me that Hydra are gone. That you've gotten rid of them."_

"_Gone?" Laura shook her head darkly, "They're never gonna be gone."_

"_That's what we said. But for right now … they ain't around. You did that, kid and I'm … I'm proud of ya."_

_Logan rested his hand on her shoulder. Laura frowned and shook him off._

"_So what are you worried about then?"_

She had left him then. Leaving her with this odd numb feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Gone. They were gone. But for how long? Evil like that just never died – somewhere out there she would have missed something – that something would grow back into something bigger and badder than before.

But for now, they were nothing.

And she wasn't sure how to feel about that. She wasn't sure how to feel about anything – but this was big, this was her whole life. She'd done what she'd set out to do. Get rid of them, even if it wasn't permanent.

"Hey, are you ok?"

Laura looked up to find Rogue and Kitty staring at her quizzically.

"Yeah, I er … I'm tired and um …"

"Ya want us to go?"

Laura nodded, "Sorry," she mumbled.

"S'ok," Rogue said. Kitty waved and they left her alone to think. Rogue knew that look she had had on her face, knew that Logan had said something to her – knew that she needed some time on her own. Rogue herself got like that sometimes.

"Is she ok?" Kitty said to Rogue as they neared their room.

"Dunno," said Rogue shrugging, "Logan said something after we got outta the Professor's office. She's been a bit depressed ever since … dunno what he said though."

"Stripes! Half-Pint!"

Kitty and Rogue turned on their heels to find Logan behind them.

"Hey Mr Logan."

"You two got a minute?" he said.

"Er … not…."

"Great," said Logan not bothering to hear them out, "I need a word. Follow me."

Rogue and Kitty gulped, then followed off down the corridor.

--

Laura didn't emerge from her room that night. She couldn't be bothered really and she didn't feel like running into Logan again that day. She stayed up as long as she could with her book then reluctantly crawled into bed when she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer.

As usual her mind didn't shut off and she was plagued with dreams. These ones were different, however. She'd never had ones like this before.

She was floating. Floating in the air somewhere she didn't know nor care to find out. She felt the currents of air wafting around her … she was so very relaxed …

… so very relaxed …

"_CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES! COME ON!!_"

"Aah!"

Laura jumped three feet in the air and fell with a crash to the floor. Sleep shocked out of her she scrambled up and yanked open the door, claws bared.

"Happy Birthday!"

"Kitty!?"

Outside her door Kitty stood holding Rogue's stereo playing some very upbeat and annoying song full blast, the base line pounding through Laura's head. God it had only felt like a second since she'd fallen asleep but it had been hours already!

"What are you doing?" Laura yelled above the music.

"Happy Birthday!" Kitty cried again.

"What?!" said Laura. She reached forward and slammed her hand down on the off switch.

"I said Happy Birthday!" cried Kitty.

"Huh?"

"Mr Logan told me and Rogue it was your birthday today. God why didn't you tell us, we'd have sooo gotten you presents and stuff!" she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What's so great about my birthday?"

"Duh, it's the one day you get to be centre of attention and everyone gives you stuff!"

Laura narrowed her eyebrows and then slammed the door.

Kitty pouted. Logan's dulcet tones rang out throughout the corridors.

"HALF-PINT! GO THE HELL BACK TO BED, ITS FOUR IN THE GODDAMNED MORNING!

--

Parties, ugh!

Usually when it was one of the kids' birthdays Logan would take off and leave them to it. He was absolutely no good at parties – didn't know a thing about them – couldn't be doing with them.

This birthday was slightly different however. He – unfortunately – had to stick this one out. After all it was not every day that your fourteen year old clone that you knew nothing about until a few months ago and were about to present with adoption papers to turned fifteen now was it?

Damn his life was complicated.

Luckily he had delegated the task of actually preparing this party to Rogue and Kitty. He'd pulled them aside last night and told them it was her birthday. He'd handed over a wad of cash (demanding change) and asked them to plan it for tomorrow evening. Kitty had grabbed the money gleefully telling him that they'd totally do it. Rogue had looked horrified.

They were kinda sensible, right? Surely out of all the kids in the Mansion those two could be most trusted to get this done? Oh who the hell was he kidding?! He wished he could have given the job to Jean and Scott but, from experience, he knew that this would just an open invitation for the rest of the monsters to wreck everything. He was hoping that his threats of double DR time for the rest of the year would scare the kids into behaving themselves. But he doubted it.

So it was left to him to distract Laura. And he hadn't liked this either. The Professor, Ororo and Hank had gone back to Washington so they were unavailable. He had to, of course, get her out of the house. Normally he would have just taken her to the Danger Room, but she was grounded. Which meant no DR.

Laura was not a happy camper. She was not getting the point of a birthday one little bit and was thoroughly fed up with everyone saying it and hugging her that she'd been sulking all day. It was best to get her out of the house before she snapped and killed someone.

He had thought long and hard about this. Besides what else was he supposed to do with her? Take her fishing? Good God no, he'd rather die. No like it or not the only thing he and Laura had in common besides cutting stuff up was - shudders - bikes.

'Its not too late to turn back' the little voice inside his head said, 'just un-ground her and you two can go trash the DR, how's that?'

No! He had to be firm. No, Danger Room for two months. So now he had to go have his bike trashed. Fabulous.

"So … um, why are we here?"

Not so very long ago Logan and Sam 'Cannonball' Guthrie had had a drag race through a canyon not too far from Bayville. _(Where the heck was that place anyhow? Anyone know?)_ He, of course had won, though not due to the lack of cheating from the other kids. This place was perfect Laura could do lots of damage far enough away from civilisation as not arouse suspicion. He'd "borrowed" the Blackbird and taken off earlier that morning tailed by a thoroughly confused Laura who, wisely, had decided it was best not to ask. He'd even let her have a go piloting where he found that she was actually very quick on the uptake and got the hang of it much quicker than all the other kids put together. She'd even seemed to enjoy it a little. From what he could tell anyway, she wasn't the most expressive person he'd ever met. See, this parenting malarkey wasn't _that_ hard!

Logan smirked, "Ya wanna ride the bike, kid." He gestured down at canyon with its steep sides, sweeping rock formations and ridiculously sharp corners. "Knock yaself out."

'_Preferably not with my bike!'_

To his slight disappointment, Laura's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"But you said I couldn't …"

"I know what I said!"

"Then why did you change your mind?"

"Ya want me to change it back?"

"No."

"Good, then cram it and have at it."

Laura leapt on the bike and grabbed the handle bars. Logan thrust something in front of her nose.

"What's that?"

"It's a helmet."

Laura looked at him convinced he'd gone mad.

"I don't need a helmet!"

"D'ya have adamantium grafted to ya skull?"

"That's not the p…!"

"Do you have adamantium grafted to your skull?"

"No," Laura grumbled. Logan waved the helmet about a bit.

"Helmet!" he said.

Laura growled then snatched it off him.

"I've had my head smashed open before, you know. Took me about four minutes to heal. I don't need this stupid thing!"

"Yeah, well I'd rather ya didn't smash ya head open, ok?"

Laura glared at him.

"Can I go now?"

This was it. The point of no return. Goodbye precious orange bike to the mercy of his violent clone and the rocks below.

"Yes, just go."

Laura revved the bike like it had never been revved before and with a loud squeal from the back wheel and an explosion of red dust Laura took off into the canyon.

--

"Ok, people. This meeting is, like, officially started!"

Rogue and Kitty stood at the head of the table with the rest of the students sat around. None of them were paying attention. They were all talking amongst themselves or flicking paper or bombs at each other.

"Hey, guys!" Kitty called, "Guys! Hey you guys this is important! Hey…!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Immediately everyone shut up and turned to face them. Rogue pushed her hair back from her face.

"Thank ya," she said.

Kitty cleared her throat. "Yeah so like I was _trying_ to say! Operation Laura's Birthday is totally in action as of right now! Mr Logan wants us to throw her a party…"

"Laura likes parties? I didn't think she liked anything," Bobby said in a tone that suggested he was still irked about the whole waffle saga.

"Who cares?!" cried Tabby, "_We_ like parties! And we haven't had one in like forever!"

"We had one last month," said Ray.

"Can we focus please?!" said Rogue pulling out a list from her jeans pocket. "Right we got jobs foah all of ya! Right …. Tabby, Bobby, Ray and Roberto ya'll are gonna decorate."

They high-fived each other.

"Amara, Rahne and Jubilee, ya'll are doin' the food. Jean and Scott, you two are gettin' the cake."

"Why are you two in charge again?" Scott asked.

"Because you two are boring!" cried Ray and Tabby.

"We're not boring!" cried Jean, indignantly.

"Can we focus people please?" Kitty interrupted. There was silence again mingled with angry looks shot across the dining table.

"Right thank you," Kitty continued, looking back down at the list, "er, where were we? Oh yeah, Sam and Alex your on drinks and stuff …"

"No alcohol!" Jean roared.

"WHAT?!"

"You are all way underage! This is a _fifteenth_ party, wait ten years!"

"You are such a stiff, Jean!"

"MOVING ON!" yelled Rogue, now thoroughly fed up with the lot of them, "Kurt, you, Kitty and Ah are gonna head into town ta pick up Laura's presents, ok? Right … Ah think that's everybody …"

"Hey!" cried Jamie, "What about me?"

"Oh … uh, well Jamie … you can … um …"

"Stay the hell out of our way?" Bobby suggested.

"Bobby!" cried Jean, "Jamie can come with us ok?"

Jamie grinned and Rogue winced – if this went wrong then Logan was going to have her head mounted above the fireplace.

--

**One hour later**

"Bit more to the left."

"No the right!"

"No the left!"

"Right a bit … bit more … bit more …"

"What are you doing I said left!"

"Uh, guys, I know I'm strong and all but this table's REALLY HEAVY!"

Roberto held aloft the giant dining table whilst Ray and Tabby directed him left and right, his arms slowing dying from the strain.

"GUYS!!"

"Ok, ok!" cried Tabby, "Just put it down over … there!"

Roberto's arms gave way and he threw the table down by the fireplace … inadvertently taking a piece of the irreplaceable marble mantelpiece with it.

"Oops," he said.

"Ah don't sweat it, Berto," said Tabby, "bit of superglue and no one will ever notice! Right … Bobby! Hows that banner coming … Bobby what the hell?!"

Bobby stood back from his prize sculpture admiring his handiwork, "What do you guys think?"

"I think it's a monstrosity!" yelled Ray.

Bobby's ice sculpture stared back at them, evil ice claws glinting menacingly in the afternoon sun.

"What it looks just like her!"

"Get rid of it!"

"Why the hell should I?!" cried Bobby, squaring right up to Ray and poking him painfully in the chest.

"'Cos its ugly!"

"Watch what you're calling ugly Electro-Boy!"

"That's Berserker, Popsicle-Stick!" yelled Ray shoving Bobby backwards as hard as he could. Bobby fell back his hands scrabbling the air he caught the thick curtains that adorned the tall windows. With a SHHRRIIIPP the curtain ripped and buried him in a bundle on the floor.

"Will you guys quit it!" cried Tabby, "We've got work to do!"

She untangled Bobby from the curtain and dragged him to his feet. He flipped two fingers at Ray.

"You were supposed to be putting up the banner!"

"I did!"

Bobby gestured to the wall behind the ice Laura. Roberto tilted his head and frowned.

"So you iced it to the wall?"

"Yep," Bobby said proudly, "Nothing's gonna get that off!"

"Er … no 'cept maybe, oh I don't know DAYLIGHT!" cried Ray.

"Chill, Ray, worry 'bout it later!" said Tabby. "We have much more pressing matters."

Tabby pulled out two paper bags from somewhere.

"Whats in there?" said Roberto, rather worriedly.

Tabby grinned.

"Silly String!!"

The boys looked at each other. Shrugged. Then dived right in.

--

**The Kitchen**

"Amara ye know they don't have t'be perfect don't ye!"

Amara had spend the last half an hour icing to perfection a packet of digestives she, Rahne and Jubilee had found at the back of a cupboard. Each was iced to the tiniest detail, a series of rings of yellow and blue.

"Of course they do!" she protested.

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"Because they're digestives!"

"Oh leave me alone Rahne and get back to your haggis… what's that smell?"

The girls spun around to find Jubilee dancing about the kitchen to some tune on her iPod whilst behind her a cloud of black smoke pouring from the oven.

"Jubes!!"

Rahne pushed Jubilee unceremoniously into the kitchen table and threw open the oven disappearing momentarily in the smoke. She emerged coughing and spluttering holding a tray of charred sausage rolls _(I can't remember what you eat at parties. Mine consist of alcohol and nothing more.) _

Amara yanked the headphones out of Jubilee's ears.

"Look what you've done!"

"What? …Oh!"

"I'll give ye oh!"

At that minute, the fire alarm started blaring and then a second later they were all drenched when the sprinklers started up.

Rahne groaned.

"This can't possibly get any worse!"

Then the toaster shorted out in the shower.

--

**The Mall**

"Why d'ya want the rest of the money?"

"Because I have the perfect idea vor Laura's present!"

Kitty stood in-between Kurt and Rogue as they continued to argue about the final thirty dollars Logan had handed over yesterday. They gotten the rest of the presents – even bought the wrapping paper – and Kurt had suddenly had a flash of inspiration. Rogue was worried.

"What ya gonna git?"

"It's a surprise! Come on, you two really should get back! I mean who knows vhat Tabitha has done to ze dining room while we've been gone!"

He had a point.

"Fahne," Rogue conceded handing the cash over into his camouflaged hand. He sorted through it gleefully. "Nothin' that goes boom 'kay?"

"Not a problem!" he cried and with that dashed off feeling very pleased with himself.

"Ah guess we should go," said Rogue.

She and Kitty headed out of the mall, arms straining under the weight of all Laura's presents.

"Ah mean … God knows what we're gonna find when we get back!"

--

**Daisy's Confectionary**

"So you want the triple chocolate, five layered cake with marzipan balloons, marzipan animals including three penguins playing Ape Escape - whatever _that_ is - and an elephant surfing across a piranha infested pond and 'Jamie Rules' in white icing written across the top** – **did I get that right?"

"Yep!"

"NO! No, no, no, no! I'm gonna kill you Jamie," Scott hissed out of the corner of his mouth.

The young boy huffed, "Well I thought it was cool!"

Jean sighed and leant on the counter, "We just want a normal birthday cake – a normal chocolate one with 'Happy Birthday Laura' on it. No extra tiers, extra icing, extra chocolate, marzipan animals, real animals, scantly clad women, fireworks or anything else. We just want a _normal_ cake!"

They'd only been in there a few minutes and had already had to stop Jamie buying a fifteen tier wedding cake. Scott had had to yank the credit card out of his hand just as he was passing it to the lady at the counter. That was nothing compared to what he'd asked for at the other twelve shops they'd been to.

The lady smiled sweetly. Clearly she was used to flustered people buying cakes.

"Of course, can you wait for a bit?"

Jean sighed then smiled, "Yes that's fine."

Just as the lady was about to disappear Jamie suddenly brightened.

"Can you put Daleks on it?!"

"NO!!"

--

**One hour later**

The Blackbird zoomed along in the air back to Bayville with a traumatized Logan flying and a rather more cheerful Laura pestering him.

"Did you see that loop I did?"

"Yes,"

"And that leap over that chasm?"

"Yes,"

"And how I drove up that wall?"

"Yes,"

"And I didn't damage your bike!"

"I know,"

"Not one scratch!"

"Not a one."

He had battled everything anyone could think of, then some things people couldn't think of. Nothing had rattled his nerves more than watching a fifteen year old doing that sort of crazy shit on his bike!

Never again.

He didn't care whether or not Rogue and Kitty were ready they were coming home right now!

--

Kitty and Rogue were currently ignoring the chaos surrounding them and were staring at a large white box sitting on the kitchen table. Kurt had appeared half an hour ago carrying it and looking very pleased with himself.

"What the hell is it?" said Rogue as they watched the box rock a little.

"I dunno, but it looks angry," said Kitty backing slowly away from the box.

Rogue reached her hand for the box, making to open it.

"Don't let it out!" Kitty shrieked.

"Kitty, we can't just leave it in there!"

"What if it's a rat?!"

"Kurt wouldn't have gotten a rat!"

"Wanna bet?"

"…"

There was a hiss from the box. An evil hiss. Then all of a sudden a paw shot from the top of the box, clawing through the air in its bid to escape and destroy!

Kitty screamed. Rogue rolled her eyes.

"Oh foah God's sake, Kit, it's a cat!"

Rogue made to open the box again, but leapt back as she was scratched viciously across the hand.

"Ow! A really evil cat!"

"It's not evil!" Kurt said, coming back into the kitchen – for some reason, covered in something that smelt like lemonade. "He's just misunderstood," he said fondly, "I call him Pickle."

"Pickle?" cried Rogue, nursing her hand, "Pickle? That's not a damn pickle, that's a demon!"

"Jeez, Kurt couldn't you have gotten a nicer one?" said Kitty.

Kurt shrugged, "He vas ze last one! He vas lonely and kinda vicious … like Laura!"

"Ya got that monster foah Laura?" said Rogue, "Why the hell would Laura want a cat?"

"Vhy ze hell vouldn't Laura vant a cat?" Kurt retaliated, angrily. "And Pickle's a kitten! And Laura's going to love him! I even got a bow to put on him!"

"Laura's hates bows!"

"Vell … its blue … and Pickle's black … he'll match Laura's hair!"

With that he picked up the demon containing box and teleported away. Any comment they were about to make had to wait as the doorbell went.

On arriving home they had discovered that all the food was drenched with water and completely inedible despite Amara's attempts to warm it up. This had in fact made them even more wet as she'd set the tea towels on fire and set the sprinkler's off again.

Rogue had therefore gone to plan B. She'd ordered pizza.

Rogue pulled open the front door. Three delivery men stood there their faces obscured by ten pizza boxes apiece.

"Er … hi?"

"Delivery for a Miss Darkholme?" said the one on the left.

"Er yeah that's meh,"

"Ok," The men dumped the pizza boxes on the ground. "That'll be 299 dollars and 40 cents."

"Ah didn't order thirty pizza's ya idiots!" Rogue yelled, "Ah ordered three! Not thirty! _Three!_"

The same guy pulled out a receipt and looked it over. "Nope says here thirty margaritas."

"Why the hell would Ah order thirty of the same pizza?!" cried Rogue.

"Don't know, don't care, now that'll be two hund…"

"Alright, fahne, fahne! I don't have tahme foah this!" Rogue thrust Professor Xavier's American Express card at him. She'd blame it on Logan later. After the men had left Rogue went back inside and headed for the dining room.

"Guys! Ah need a hand with the food…Guys….Oh mah God!"

The dining room was a disaster zone there was no other way to describe it.

"Out the way Rogue!"

Rogue backed up against the door frame narrowly missing Amara come in carrying a big stack of the Professor's best china.

"Amara we're havin' pizza! What's with the plates?!"

"There's no harm in making an effort!"

"CATCH ZAT CAT!!"

Rogue caught a glimpse of a little hairy fluffball zoom underneath Amara's legs. Amara screamed leapt a foot in the air and dropped the china. It fell with an almighty SMASH to the floor.

"Oh, shit!" cried Rogue.

She was nearly knocked flying as Kurt pushed his way into the dining room covered in scratched in pursuit of the kitten.

"Hey watch where ya goin' Kurt! Alex!"

Alex was atop an ice ladder clearly made by Bobby attaching a gigantic piece of mistletoe to the ceiling. Though where exactly he'd gotten that in May was anyone's guess.

"What are ya doing? It ain't Christmas for seven months!"

"Yeah but Laura doesn't know that! Whoa!"

Bobby had become distracted as Kurt grabbed hold of Pickle and rolled on the floor trying to keep hold of him as he spat and hissed and tried to get away. The spindly ice tower snapped in two and Alex and the ice fell straight onto the dining table onto the soggy food which went splat all over everything!

Meanwhile Kurt rolled straight into Jubilee who jumped a foot in the air letting off a stream of fireworks by accident one of which landed straight in the pile of …

"Not the presents!!"

Kitty screamed as the rather substantial pile of newly wrapped presents went up a blaze of glory.

"Bobby!" Kitty screamed. Bobby let out a jet of jet of ice and dozed the flames but the damage was done – the presents were ruined.

"Nice one, Jubes!" yelled Ray.

"Hey, don't blame me it was Kurt's fault!"

Everyone erupted, yelling insults at each other and powering up for one almighty brawl.

"Yep, Logan's gonna kill meh." Rogue moaned, blowing her fringe out of her eyes.

"What's going on?"

Everyone was suddenly silent. All heads turned very slowly towards the door to where a shocked looking Laura and a fuming Logan stood.

Laura stepped into the room, treading carefully to avoid the broken shards of china scattered about the floor. Tables were upended, food was on the floor, up the walls and smeared across the mirror and there was what looked to be brightly coloured paper in long strings strewn across – well, everything. One of the curtains was hanging up by messily applied duct tape and with a thud a piece of the mantelpiece fell off. Hung on one wall was a gigantic banner that had curled in on itself so Laura could just make out 'HAPP…' there was a smouldering pile of boxes in one corner with the remnants of bright blue paper still attached to the outsides, Ray and Jubilee were an inch away from each other snarling, Alex was on the table nursing his head, there was a mound of ice in one corner melting away and Kurt was having a fight with a black kitten with a shredded blue bow around its neck.

And there was a plant on the ceiling.

"What the hell happened?!" cried Logan, somewhat hysterically. "I ask you monsters to do one damn thing and you wreck it! And just why the hell are there thirty pizzas on our front door step?!"

"Er … what's going on?" Laura piped up.

The kids were all silent. They gave each other a look and then yelled.

"Surprise!"

Rogue groaned and turned scarlet.

There is an unwritten rule buried deep into a teenager's psyche. If something goes wrong; never admit that it did and blag your way through it making sure you look like a hero in the process.

Tabby threw an arm over Laura's shoulders.

"Welcome to your very first birthday party, girlfriend," she yelled, "hosted by your absolute best friends forever – us!"

The rest of the kids cottoned on to what Tabitha was doing. Ray stood the other side and threw his arm over too.

"Yep – we spent all afternoon fixing this place up for you!"

"You mean you did this on purpose?" said Laura looking over the carnage while trying to shake off the arms.

"Of course!" Ray cried, "We were going for the theme of … of … of …"

"The freaking Apocalypse?!" Logan growled.

"Yeah," Rogue said stepping out of her corner, "yeah … well, remember when we were talkin' about Apocalypse and how ya weren't there?"

Laura nodded.

"Well … here ya go! Ya here now … so … yeah …"

"Yeah, totally," Kitty piped up, "you know … to make you feel more a part of the group, kinda …"

Kitty trailed off when he saw the look on Logan's face. He clearly wasn't buying it. Laura however …

"Oh, well … thanks, then … this is, uh, great?"

"FABULOUS!" Tabby cried. "Kurt, music!"

"Ooo! Ooo! Have mein present first!" a scratch covered Kurt said, tripping over his feet in his haste to get to Laura. He plonked the snarling black kitten in Laura's hands.

"Zat's Pickle," he said.

Laura frowned, "It looks like a cat to me."

"Nein, its _name_ is Pickle."

"When did we get a damn _cat_?!" Logan roared, "I want that thing out of this house, right …!"

He stopped. The kitten had stopped spitting and snarling and was now purring in Laura's arms as she scratched him behind his ears looking really rather content. Oh so she couldn't get on with people, but felines were apparently fine! Logan sighed. Damn kids!

"Thanks Kurt," Laura mumbled.

Kurt beamed, then looked behind him and poked his tongue out at Rogue who sneered at him.

"Oh my God!"

Jean, Scott and Jamie had arrived back. Scott look shocked, Jamie looked highly amused and Jean looked as if she was about to cry. Jamie was carrying a rather large box with 'Daisy's Confectionary' written across the top.

The party was put on hiatus as Scott and Jean wandered open mouthed at the destruction a bunch of teenagers could cause on one afternoon.

Logan grasped Laura on the shoulder.

"A word, kid?"

Unwilling to stay Laura followed Logan out into the front garden and sat next to him on the steps, Pickle curling up on her lap.

"I'm gonna kill 'em!" he growled.

"Was this your idea?" Laura said.

Logan nodded.

"Was that why we went biking?"

"Yep."

"Why'd you do it?"

Logan smiled at her, "Because its ya birthday."

Laura shrugged, "It's never been anything to celebrate."

"Yeah, well it is now," Logan said softly.

Behind them in the Mansion music started up. Clearly the arguments hadn't lasted long.

Logan looked troubled. This confused Laura. Logan was never troubled.

"Are you ok?" she said.

Logan shifted somewhat uncomfortably. He delved into his jacket pocket and passed her a large, brown envelope.

"Sorry I didn't wrap it, kid," he said, "Happy Birthday."

"What is it?"

"Well open it and you'll see."

She set Pickle down on the step beside her and, meticulously, Laura opened the envelope. She pulled out a thick wad of papers. There was an excruciating few minutes where she read through them. He couldn't read her face at all. It was completely blank. Finally she looked up at him.

"What – what do these mean?" She thought she knew, but she didn't want to say.

Logan scratched the back of his neck. This was already not going to plan. In his mind when he imagined giving her these he had imagined hugs going on. Though quite why he had thought this he wasn't sure because to his knowledge Laura was not a fan of physical contact and had never hugged anyone. Well – apart from that one time when she attacked the mansion. But that was not exactly how he wanted this to end – it wouldn't have spoken wonders about their relationship if she now tried to kill him then end up crying on him.

"It means I wanna adopt ya kid."

"Oh … why?"

"…"

"Logan?"

"What?"

"Why do you want do adopt me?"

Logan cleared his throat, "Er … well, because I do … do ya even know what it means, kid?"

"Yes of course I do, I'm not completely stupid!"

Oh God. This was supposed to be quite a good moment between them both and they were already arguing! Why him?!

"That's not what I meant, Laura. Look, this is one of the reasons I wanna adopt ya … ya still ain't got a clue how the world works and as much as ya wanna deny it … ya need me …"

Surprisingly, Laura didn't argue back. She seemed to be listening quite intently.

"Remember when I found ya in New York?" Logan said, Laura's eyes immediately clouded over – she didn't _want_ to remember but Logan persisted, "I promised ya I'd take care of ya. It ain't often I break my promises … and I ain't gonna do that now. What's in you is my DNA – but that don't make you my clone, it makes ya my kid…"

"Yeah, but I'm not really your…"

"Those papers'll make it legal," Logan said. "Now, personally I don't need no piece of paper tellin' me what I already know … but if it's what you want, kid …"

Logan pulled a biro out of his back pocket and held it out to her. Laura dropped her gaze to the pen and then to her horror she felt her eyes welling up. God, what was wrong with her? Why did she always end up crying around him?!

"Is it … is it what … what _you_ want?"

Logan nodded, "Yeah, it is, Laura."

She looked back up at him.

"Why?"

He heard it in her voice and saw it in her eyes that she really didn't understand … and it went deeper than just these papers. She just didn't understand how family worked, why on earth he would want her. And it broke his heart.

"Because I'm ya dad, kid. You'll understand one day,"

Laura looked back the papers and reread them – but Logan got the feeling she wasn't taking any of the words in. He waited, surprisingly nervous, for her to make her mind up.

Finally Laura took the pen and half smiled.

"Where do I sign?"

BANG!

Behind them the music stopped in a small explosion.

"There goes the CD player," Logan sighed.

--

"Finally! There you are! Come on we're totally doing the cake now!"

Logan and Laura had hoped to sneak back in unnoticed but Kitty had spotted them immediately. She grabbed Laura's hand and shoved her into a chair at the table.

"Bobby!" she screeched "Get the cake!"

Bobby saluted and ran off into the kitchen.

"Like, where were you two anyway?" said Kitty looking between Logan and Laura.

"None ya business, Half-Pint," said Logan, "Now where's this cake? I suppose that's gone ok, its not filled with Boom Boom's bombs or nothing?"

Tabby's ears perked and she jumped up onto the table.

"Oh yeah! Why didn't I think of that? That would have been so cool!" She let out a stream of harmless little bombs that exploded and cracked. One landed right next to Pickle who screeched like a banshee and scrambled out of Laura's arms in a flurry of fur and claws faster than Laura could catch him, just as Bobby was entering with the cake.

"Nooooooooooo!"

It almost happened in slow motion. Pickle ran up Bobby's leg and sunk his claws into his flesh. Bobby screamed – like a girl – and threw the cake up in the air. It spun twice then crashed to the floor in a spludgy mess. (_I reserve rights for having made up this amusing word – I think. Did I? It's not on spell-checker. Oh well._)

Pickle the demon cat was forced scratching and hissing back into his box of doom from whence he came and Tabby was forced cursing the demon to pick the cake up from the floor.

Laura looked unimpressed at the heap of cake, icing and dust on the dining table.

"Well it _was_ a cake," Jean sighed sadly.

Laura plucked a piece of carpet fluff off of the brown icing. At least she thought it was icing.

"Oh come on it's not a total loss," Tabby, ever the optimist, said. She seized the silver candles and proceeded to stick them into the heap at all sorts of dangerous looking angles. Jubilee lit them.

"Right then …. Happy Birth…"

"Oh God please no singin'!" Rogue cried, "I like ya and all Laura but please no singin'!"

"I agree, please don't sing," Laura said.

"What, but there's always singing!"

Tabby was silenced with death glares from everyone. She folded her arms and sulked. "What no alcohol, no presents, no music and now no happy birthday! This party sucks!"

"Just blow the candles out Laura!" Logan cried.

"Why?"

"It's traditional," Kitty explained, "you make a wish and then blow all the candles out. If you blow all of them out at once your wish comes true!"

"Oh. What do I wish for?"

"Anything."

"Ok…um, I wish…."

"Ah!" Jamie cried, "In your head! Otherwise it definitely won't come true!"

"That's an awful lot of rules for one stupid wish," Laura said.

"Just do it kid!" Logan said.

"Fine!"

Laura thought hard. Then she brushed her hair back from her face and blew out the candles. She didn't quite get them all out in one blow but everyone clapped anyway.

Cleaning up took hours, something which Laura objected to seeing as she hadn't made the damn mess but Logan had silenced her and threatened to drown Pickle if the place wasn't clean by midnight. At five to a troupe of exhausted teenagers had traipsed up the stairs and crawled into bed.

Pickle (having escaped the box and run off with the feather duster) had made himself comfortable snuggled up in the crook of Laura's arm and was out like a light. Laura lay in bed wide awake absentmindedly stroking her new kitten. Her mind was on those papers.

She'd signed them. And maybe it was for the best that she had. She'd felt so overwhelmed when he'd given them to her and … She just didn't get why he wanted to take her in. She hadn't understood it a month ago and she certainly didn't get it now. She'd been overwhelmed back then too and again she had ended up crying. Crying! She'd not done that once when she'd been at Hydra – well, there had been times when the pain they'd been putting her through was so bad that her eyes had streamed but that wasn't really crying was it? But in the last few months, she'd felt as if she'd cried enough for twenty lifetimes.

"I don't understand," she whispered.

She couldn't help but let her mind wander to this time last year, when the thoughts of the outside world and the prospect of escape were beginning to form in her mind. The seeds of disobedience and rebellion were planted and beginning to sprout.

And then her mind wandered back to three years to the day. If you could watch her eyes as she remembered her twelfth birthday then you'd not want to look in them again. Memories of that pain and that man exploded behind her eyes and she felt tears slide onto her pillow.

Her claws slowly slid out from under her skin and she let them glint in the moonlight.

"Happy Birthday," she whispered.

--

My God! This is freaking twenty five pages long! Gah! This is the longest thing I've ever written in my whole life! I don't think I could have made this anymore of a disaster if I'd tried. So if anyone's got any ideas – tell me, cos I love a bit of mischief. Lol.

This is so not my best writing. I'm not too good with happy dappy stuff like this. So it was a bit of a challenge for me and I'm not terribly pleased with the results but I can live with it.

I couldn't resist Pickle. I love naughty kittens I've got three of them myself at the minute. Oliver, Benjamin and Daisy and all of Pickle's antics come from those three little devils. And besides in the comics ... well Target X anyway there's like one panel showing Laura surrounded by sweet little Kittens and she looks like she kinda likes them.

What did Laura wish for? I'll tell you all later on but use your imaginations what would you wish for if you were her?

The Laura I showed in LOASM hasn't started to appear just yet. She will though. I haven't forgotten her don't worry.

If you liked drop me a review even if it's only a hurry-the-hell-up-with-the-next-chapter-you-doughnut kinda review! As is in the Tesco ads; Every Little Helps … my morale!

And I'll try and keep my notes at the beginning to the bear minimum next chapter, kay?

Yay for carpet fluff!

Love from the Evil Angel! xxx


	5. Moving On 1:2 Plans

Hello! Happy June all!

Ugh, this chapter is short and late. I apologise but to make it up to you lovely, loyal readers I'll have the next part up Thursday/Friday depending what side of the pond you inhabit.

I bet you'd love to know why this is late. I can hear you all now, why Evil Angel why is this late? Is it because you're evil, because you're lazy, why, _why_, WHY? Well I'll tell you …

… at the end of the chapter. Muhahahaha… oh shut up Angel, no one cares. It's late cos I had my actual book to write and I had therapy to go to. Why do I have therapy? Because I'm insane and should be in a nice quiet asylum somewhere … maybe on a nice quiet mountain with the Dalai Lama and the Abominable Snowman and we could all sit in deckchairs with a Daiquiri and chant – OH SHUT UP BRAIN!

Ugh, anyway SHOUT – OUTS!

firefly4543: Ah a pyromaniac I see. I like them, more people for me to cause havoc with! Yay! Ta for reviewing!

Abbs of the faeries: You are so welcome! Alcohol … why didn't I think of that? Damn that would have been funny; maybe I'll put it in later for the funny factor, Lol. Laura's sad in general…not too much happy stuff going on in that head of hers…but I'll let ya'll know for certain in mine grand finale – cue evil laugh. Lol.

Terez: Ah, thank you, thank you, glad you thought so! Dude I totally voted in your poll! Yeah, go me, I'm clever I can click! Whoo! But yeah, she must learn control and kiss Remy many times!

PurplePoof: Pickle is in fact an awesome name for a cat! I'm glad you think so! I wanted to call my girl kitten Pickle but I got overruled, dammit! Cakes are **so **not complete without Doctor Who villains! Bring on the Cybermen! Yes, yes, the depressiveness is on the way – happy now, **bad** later!

natdrat00: Oops. Sorry didn't mean to make it that long. That chapter was supposed to be much shorter but I couldn't help myself. There was too much carnage to fit in! Enjoy the chow?

allyg1990: Yay, someone found it funny! I find disasters hilarious myself as I am usually the one causing them. And yes it was long. It was painful to write – my fingers were bleeding it was epic!

Ta for the reviews guys!

* * *

Chapter 4: **Plans**

It took less than three days for the papers to go through. Nick Fury had used his wide stretching influence to get them through far quicker than normal and with no questions asked. A man named Logan Howlett who no one could identify adopted a young girl newly named Laura Howlett who apparently didn't exist. But SHIELD were involved so no one asked.

They had, inevitably, had an awkward conversation about what she was supposed to call him now. Luckily this had been over quickly when it was decided by Laura that she was no way near ready to call him Dad just yet.

So he was still just Logan for now.

May rolled on and turned into a blisteringly hot June and that meant only one thing for the kids of the Xavier Mansion; exams!

Jean had locked and barricaded herself in her room pouring over genetics notes in preparation for her first lot of exams at College. She was getting next to no sleep and had huge dark bags under her eyes. She wasn't often seen and everyone had taken to tiptoeing past her room and thinking very, very quietly. Anything less and you'd find yourself hurtling through the opposite wall.

The younger ones Bobby, Tabby and the like were taking exams in their stride. Basically ignoring them completely and cramming in a bit of revision just before they went to bed. Life basically went on as usual for them except that they were now a bit more proactive in their training. Anything it seemed was better than revision.

Kitty was also taking the exams quite seriously. She could often be found in the library with several books open and her fingers stuffed in her ears mouthing some biology fact over and over again.

But the one she really wanted to ace was Home Ec. She been practicing non stop and last night had cooked dinner. Everyone had had some excuse, half had not turned up and the other half, Laura and Rogue sadly included, had feigned some weight excuse not to eat it. Chocolate scrambled eggs did not a good meal make.

Surprisingly – to Laura at least – Rogue had actually wanted to revise, not nearly to the extent that Jean was but she'd recruited Laura as her personal assistant.

And to Laura's surprise she found she knew most of this stuff in Rogue's books, the sciences especially and history. She wasn't sure why everyone was so worried about these tests – they didn't seem that bad to her.

Laura did not so much _like_ tests as she was used to them. She was comfortable with being tested, it was familiar to her. And this stuff was easy compared to Hydra's "exams."

She decided there and then when she was testing Rogue on math that she wanted to take them too. She'd gone too long without a real intellectual challenge. Yep, she'd made up her mind and …

"I want to go to school,"

Logan sighed. He'd only just gotten comfortable in his favourite armchair with the paper. He'd thought that first thing on a Monday morning he might be able to get some peace. No such luck. Logan folded up the paper. His newly adopted fifteen year old stood bold as brass arms folded in front of him with her best no nonsense look on her face.

"Ya say that now, kid, but as soon as I send ya it'll be 'I hate it! I wanna stay home…'"

"Logan,"

"Look, kid, ya can't go to school,"

Laura had rehearsed this beforehand, so far it was going exactly as she imagined.

"Look, you and Fury both said that Hydra weren't around right now, right? Well what's the problem?"

"The problem is that we don't know how long Hydra's gonna be gone for. They could be back already!"

"And they might come back twenty years from now!" Laura argued, "You can't keep me in here forever Logan."

"Yes I can."

Laura huffed impatiently, "Ok – I don't _want_ to be in here anymore."

"Yeah," said Logan, "and I don't want Hydra getting' their hands on ya."

"Well, neither do I! Look – I've already asked the Professor and he said yes."

Logan thrust the paper onto the coffee table.

"Ya did what?" he snapped.

Laura sighed, "I asked the …"

"The Professor ain't ya father, kid, I am," Logan snapped, "and while ya under my roof ya'll follow my damn rules!" _(Lost count of how many times my father's come out with __**that**__ one!)_

Laura frowned, "But this is the Professor's house. So it's his roof."

"Not. The. Point." he growled through gritted teeth.

There was a few seconds pause.

"So…" Laura ventured after a few moments of Logan seething, "can I go?"

Logan sprang up then he headed for the door.

"Come on!" he barked, "Chuck's office, right now!"

Laura trailed after her father ignoring the sympathetic looks of the others they passed. Logan barged into the Professor's office not bothering to knock.

The Professor looked up from his paperwork and smiled knowingly. Of course he had been expecting them.

"School, huh, Chuck?" Logan said before the Professor could get a word in. "Just when did we decide this?"

The Professor calmly folded his hands on his desk. "Logan," he said, "this arrangement with Laura was never permanent and - let me finish," he said quickly as Logan made to argue with him, "this may be the best opportunity that Laura will ever get to fully experience teenage life. Fury's got SHIELD on the look out for Hydra. One word from Colonel Fury that they're back and we'll pull her straight out. And in order that she be allowed to remain at school I've explained to Laura that she has to behave herself meaning that she has to remain on grounds at all times, and that she must arrive and leave with the others. Laura's already agreed to these terms,"

"Yep," said Laura.

Logan got the distinct feeling that he had no choice in the matter. He decided he didn't like that. Besides, he _knew_ it wasn't permanent. However he had imagined when he finally let Laura go to school (say, for the final day of her Senior year) that he'd have the remaining Hydra member's heads stuffed and mounted on his wall – maybe with little Santa hats on at Christmas. He did not enjoy the thought of having Laura out of his sight for six hours a day. He'd been there, done that, got the blood-stained T-shirt – he did _not_ want to go through that again.

"They've got exams next week, kid." he said in a bid to make school as unappealing as possible.

"I can do them," Laura said with absolute certainty.

Damn!

The Professor evidently noticed the look on his face. He turned to Laura.

"Laura, will you give us a minute please?"

Laura nodded and left them. Logan slumped into the chair in front of the Professor's desk.

"She ain't goin' Chuck," he said, nodding his head surely.

"I understand your concern, Logan, most parents have separation issues when their child goes to school …"

"Yeah, but most parents don't have an evil, sadistic bunch of scientists hunting their child."

"Fair point," the Professor conceded, nodding, "but then most children don't have a government organization, the X-Men, and a, justifiably, overprotective and vengeful father there to protect them."

"That's what I'm tryin' to do Chuck!" cried Logan, "I'm tryin' to protect my kid!"

"I know that, Logan," the Professor said calmly, "but you have to let her go at some point. What are you going to do when she's eighteen and she's finished school and she wants to go to College? I'm not saying that that's what Laura will want to do but lets think hypothetically,"

Logan thought that was probably a good idea. He couldn't quite picture his Laura in College. Traipsing about on some distant planet was more likely.

"What are you going to do then, Logan?" the Professor continued, "Refuse to let her go? Keep her locked up still? When exactly are you planning on letting her out, when she's eighty?"

"When I know Hydra are gone," Logan said with utter conviction.

"You know they are now,"

"That's not permanent."

"It might be. For the whole of Laura's lifetime it might be. We don't know anything except that for right this moment Hydra pose no threat to her."

There was a very curious battle going on in Logan's head. There was a very tiny portion of his brain that knew the Professor was right was trying in vain to reason with the overwhelming portion that believed that the old man was out of his mind.

"Laura will be fine. Its not as if we're sending her half way across the country," the Professor said, "she'll only be ten minutes down the road. And she'll be with everyone else. She will be fine, Logan."

Despite the overwhelming voice in his head, Logan nodded. He trusted the old man in front of him with his life. He trusted him explicitly. There was something very calming about being around Professor Xavier, something in his voice that could convince anyone that everything would be fine. Logan owed Xavier more than he would ever be able to pay back.

"I don't know, Charles…"

"How about a compromise," the Professor said, "give her until the end of the school year; it's only a couple more weeks. Let her do the exams – I'm quite curious as to how well she'll do if I'm honest. Give it a chance, and then if you're still not happy then … well we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

There was silence for a few minutes while Logan milled this plan over in his mind. The clock ticked over the mantelpiece and as it showed five minutes of quiet had passed he finally consented.

* * *

Somewhere in Canada, underneath a thick layer of snow, ice and frozen earth one small, old, decaying laboratory left over from the cold war had survived SHIELD's purge of Hydra. It had also been missed by the vigilante act of revenge by X-23 because she had never known it had existed. They had kept it from her purposefully and now they knew they were right to do so.

Ninety-five percent of Hydra was dead. Its personnel slaughtered, its bases destroyed and its leader blown up. But a few of them had lived on in this secret base. They weren't powerful, they weren't so well connected anymore and they weren't dangerous. But that was going to change.

In one of the few private quarters Dr Zander Rice stared into a cracked mirror and traced the scar down the right side of his face. They'd thought he was dead, _she_ had though he was dead … he had thought he was dead. It had taken him a while to piece together what had happened. The animal had escaped, he'd tried to kill her but he'd taught her too well and she'd very nearly beaten him to death. He'd awoken with just enough time to drag himself free of the Facility before it had exploded.

Oh how he loathed that clone. All that money and all that time – _wasted_! But the world was too small a place for a living weapon to hide. She hadn't escaped them – she would never escape him!

His pager bleeped. Harkins.

Rice made his way through the dark, depressing corridors through to the central laboratory. Step into here and you wouldn't think Hydra were in trouble at all. It gleamed with science and glass and white, cold, walls. The sight there made him smile.

"As you can see Zander," said a man shorter and stockier than him, "it's ready."

Rice stepped behind him and ran his eyes over the equipment in front of him. A tank filled with green water and hot bubbling adamantium they'd managed to rescue from the burning debris of the Facility. It was perfect.

"What now?" Harkins said.

"Now?" Rice grinned and as he did he looked up into the observation deck partitioned off from the lab by a pane of bullet proof glass at woman standing there grinning back. He picked up one of the guns that would inject the burning metal, "now we get my little project back." He squirted a bit of the metal back into the bubbling mass, "I have big plans for her."

* * *

Dun, dun, dun … (dramatic pause) … Hydra's not gone. Shockingly.

Anyway sorry its short, it kind of a filler chapter anyway. More story goodness on the way promise.

Review my lieblings! Ta loads! Angel x

Next Chapter: School and all its terrible glory! And Laura's favourite speed demon annoys her some more. The joy!


	6. Moving On 2:2 School

Hello mah fuzzy love nuggets! (Watch Ying Yang Yo and you'll get what I mean!)

I am BACK! Yeah! Whoo and does it feel GOOD!

I HATED that cast! It itched, it was annoying and it restricted my typing! Grrr!!

I actually could have had this out a while ago but then the gremlins who live in the walls stole my USB key with all the Carry You files on it. Evil little things. Anyway they gave it back and so I can continue.

Enough with the sob story on with the thank yous!

Dragon's Ghost: Cool name, dude, and much welcomes! I'm totally blushing again – thanks!! Hope your friend feels better soon and yes being without proper use of your writing/typing hand is a complete pain in the rear!

Soldier Heart: Cool! Glad you like!! Welcome to the Carry you posse!! Thanks for the review and the well wishes!

Terez: That's my philosophy exactly, Lol. What would possibly give you that idea? I also can't wait for more Zander – I love writing bad guys! And I feel when I am excited to write stuff I write much better.

whylime: Welcome to the posse! Thanks for taking the time to review and don't fall off that seat … because it hurts. Lol. And yes I would like a healing factor now! Thanks, I'm feeling better!

saturnssailor: Welcome to the story posse too! Glad I've interested more people! Hope you enjoy!

natdrat00: I so didn't mean to imply that _you_ meant to imply that it was too long. I like long, and it actually took me less time to write than my shorter chapters! Ta for the review!

Abbs of the faeries: I love Xietro stories – I love those two together, they're more alike than they think. Zander completely creeps me out too; imagine what Laura must feel like! In good olde England, land of Knights of the olde Round Table and such, we Englishpersons use the word revise to mean studying for exams/tests etc. I keep forgetting that the story is set in America and should probably use American terms. This might backfire because I've only ever been to Disney World and my only knowledge of American words comes from the telly. Yay, I made you laugh! Poor Logan completely outwitted. Bless.

allyg1990: Thank you! I like nice words, they make me fuzzy! Glad it read as quite tense. I get so used to my own words they lose all feeling for me after a while, so I've no idea what the feeling of my own stuff is after the seventh or eighth read. Please continue to tell me!

Also I have decided that each chapter shall have a little quote at the beginning. Because I like that stuff, kay?

* * *

_**'Never meddle in the affairs of dragons ... for you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup,'**_

Chapter 6: **School**

So this was normality.

Whitewashed walls, sardine can corridors, lockers, clocks, bells, numbers on doors, and so much noise. Yelling and shoving and cat calling, and underpinning all of it whispers. Whispers and looks and snide remarks.

_Mutants. Muties. Monsters._

Laura stuck close to Rogue and Kitty, who didn't seem to mind the chaos that school turned out to be, their scents were familiar if she focused on them she could easily filter out the rest.

" ... and that's where the Principal's office is, and that's the biology labs, and that's the Home Ec rooms. Out that doors the track field ... ooh and that's the girl's bathroom and ... ugh... the _boys'_! Oh and here are our lockers! Ta Da!"

Kitty had expressed total delight at Laura being brand new and had insisted on giving her the guided tour. Luckily for Laura they'd left the school extremely late as was the norm and now had approximately one minute to grab their stuff and run halfway across the school and get to their first class.

Apparently the rest of the student population had the same problem.

They arrived now, with Kitty doing a flurry of Jazz hands, at a wall of derelict metal lockers with the word 'Mutant Scum' attractively embellished on the front in red paint.

"Third tahme this week," Rogue growled as she yanked open her own locker.

"Here,"

Laura looked back to Kitty just in time to catch a notebook and a whole load of stationary. All of which she noted with slight distain was pink and yellow.

"You can borrow some of my stuff and later we can totally go out and get you some!" Kitty said happily, head buried in her locker, rootling through her stuff in search of something. This wasn't to last as Rogue grabbed the back of her shirt and yanked her away from the lockers.

"We're gonna be late!"

Rogue shoved Kitty in the opposit direction down the corridor ... and straight into a group of boys. Kitty stuff rolled everywhere and the one she'd smacked into advanced on Kitty.

"Watch where you're damn well goin', mutie," growled the boy who was wearing the same shade of red that instantly veiled Laura's sight. She stepped in between the guy and Kitty.

"Leave her alone," she said.

The boy snickered as did his friends behind him, "Or what?" he said, stepping forward and looming over her, "you gonna hurt me, little girl?"

"Yes."

Just as her fists clenched a shrill bell rang out through the corridors and Kitty pulled Laura away. As more and more space filled between them she heard him turn to his friends and say, "She's kinda hot ... for a freak!"

She became aware that they'd entered the classroom as she pondered what he'd meant ... she didn't fel particularly hot ... except for the hot flush she always got when she was angry.

"Damn jocks!" Rogue growled chucking her bag under a desk right at the back of the room.

"They're just so ... ugh, I don't know ... mean!" Kitty said.

"What's a jock?" Laura said, taking the seat next to Rogue.

"Those guys you were about to beat the hell out of were jocks, which, by the by, didn't you let her continue with, Kit?"

Kitty raised her eyebrows at Rogue from next to Laura, "Do you want Laura to get expelled on her first day?"

At that second the door opened again and a young woman slunk in and perched herself on the desk.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen! I hope you're all ready to get down to some mathematics!" Her face fell at the distinct lack of enthusiasm, "Okay, what's new?" she said glancing down at a piece of paper on her left. Her face lit up again, "Oh, we got a new one!"

Laura snapped wide open.

"Where's Laura Howlett?"

Laura slumped lower in her chair, wishing she could turn invisible like that guy the Kingpin had made her kill that time.

"No use hiding, honey I can see you." Laura looked up to see Miss Lucas waving at her. Rogue stifled a laugh beside her. The rest of the class were not so obliging.

"Normally I'd get you to come up here and introduce yourself ... but in this case I think we'll skip that," she added hastily to the look of pure horror on Laura's face.

"So," Miss Lucas announced, looking over the whole class as Laura breathed a sigh of relief and swiftly kicked Rogue under the desk, "seeing as none of you passed that test last week, it looks as if we'll have to go over the basics ... again. Multiplication Tables ..."

There was a collective groan.

Miss Lucas clapped her hands together lightly, "If you'd have all studied when I told you too, we wouldn't have to be doing this. Now ... five times six?"

There was a low mumble.

"Can't hear you!"

"Thirty."

"Fantastic! Now, nine times three!"

This went on for roughly ten minutes with the answers getting more and more like drones instead of actual words. Laura's eyes drifted upwards to the clock and watched the second hand slowly ticking away ... but she wouldn't admit boredom, no way, then Logan would have won, and that wasn't going to happen!

Miss Lucas sighed to herself, she was sure now that none of the kids were listening ... what was the point of her even being here, she may as well sneak out and replace herself with the talking clock for all the attention she was getting.

"And what's fifteen times eight hundred and ninety six?"

There came the drone – but then she nearly fell off her desk when a voice piped up from the back,

"Thirteen thousand, four hundred and for…"

At the back Laura squirmed as an entire sea of people turned in their seats to stare at her. She flushed red and stared down at her fingers on the desk.

"Excuse me?" said the teacher.

Laura kicked herself mentally. This was not how she operated, she was very good at not drawing attention to herself. Fourteen years training out the window! Sensing this wasn't about to go away Laura looked up.

"That's the answer," she said, "fifteen times eight hundred and ninety six – thirteen thousand, four hundred and forty."

There was dead silence as the teacher reached behind her and picked up a calculator from the desk. She punched in the numbers.

"It is,"

Oh how Laura wished she could crawl under her desk and hide. She squirmed uncomfortably and focussed solely on mildly amusing bit of graffiti on her desk.

"Laura, you can multiply big numbers?" said the teacher, smiling.

Laura looked up and could almost see the ridicule radiating from the rest of the class.

"No ... I guessed," she said.

"Guessed, huh?"

Laura nodded.

"Of course. Okay then, class," Miss Lucas, clapping her hands together, "enough Q+A open your books to page 398 read through the chapter and do the exercises, I want it done by half past ..."

The rest of the hour past a little too quickly for Laura's liking. She kept her head down, purposefully ignoring Kitty trying to get her to talk and Rogue giving her significant glances. Rather harder to ignore were the snide remarks that were hissed underneath the breaths of everyone else. Her hearing picked up every word. And it riled her. Sure, hate the new smart mutant girl.

Things didn't get much better the rest of the day. Miss Lucas felt the overwhelming need to announce to the whole class that Laura had excelled at the maths questions far above the rest of them inviting not a few laughs.

Kitty had dragged her very quickly from the classroom and down the corridor to the biology labs. And things didn't get much better from there.

The jocks were back and sitting at the back, the boy from the corridor spotted them the instant they arrived and stuck two fingers up at her. Around half way through, their teacher was scribbling revision notes on the board dictating them as he went, all of which Laura was very familiar with, all the while blatantly ignoring the jocks at the back laughing and talking loudly. Laura stared absent-mindedly at the clock, thinking of the many and varying ways she'd beat the living hell out that _boy_ if he so much as _thought_ about picking a fight with her later. On her left, Kitty was writing Mr Samson's words all down furiously and on her right Rogue was amusing herself by painting her nails black.

As Laura thrust her hand under Rogue's nose, signalling her to get cracking on hers her ears pricked and before she could stop herself she'd blurted out;

"You're wrong."

Rogue quickly stashed the nail varnish under the desk. "Not again," she groaned.

Mr Samson crushed the chalk in his hand. He did _not_ like being interrupted.

"Excuse me?" he said.

Laura cleared her throat, aware that again everyone was staring at her. "You said that the heart can pump fifty-two litres of blood a minute but its fifty-five and three quarters,"

Like Logan, a vein was throbbing in Mr Samson's forehead, and like Logan, he yelled when corrected.

"Principal's office now Howlett!"

"Foah what?!" Rogue cried.

"Quiet Darkholme or it'll be you as well."

Laura growled under her breath. "All I said was that you're wrong!"

"OUT!" he yelled pointing a shaking finger at the door.

Laura pushed off hard from the desk, restraining her instinct to go and gut the boys at the back who jeered and laughed.

She slammed the door as hard as she could.

She fumed down the corridors. What had that been all about?! Why her and not them ... stupid boys and ... oh of course. Because she was a mutant.

That thought fuelled her angry stride down the corridor and she didn't see the person she smacked into coming the opposite way until they were disentangling themselves.

"Hey watch where you're …You?!" they yelled together.

Laura glared up at Pietro who'd so rudely bumped into her!

"What are you doing here?" he snarled.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"I asked first!"

Laura folded her arms and shrugged, "I got sent to the Principal's office,"

Pietro smirked, "In trouble already are we? Your daddy's gonna kill you!"

"Probably. What are you doing here?" Laura repeated.

"By freakish coincidence I too am off to see our beloved and chubby overlord! The Principal," he said frustrated after seeing Laura's expression.

"What did you do?" Laura said.

"What did _you_ do?"

Laura smirked, "I asked first this time."

"Used my powers to but a bunch of tacks on the teacher's chair – guess laughing my ass off kinda gave me away. You?"

"My mutant hating biology teacher doesn't like anyone telling him he's wrong,"

Pietro grinned.

"Well, really must be off," he announced. He pushed past Laura and made to head off down the corridor. "Things to see, people to do …"

"Pietro,"

"What?"

Laura turned and pointed down the corridor that led off to their left.

"The Principal's office is that way."

Pietro stopped and in an instant was an inch away from her. Laura wondered for a minute whether or not he was going to hit her. Just let him try!

"I knew that," he said.

Laura rolled her eyes at him and he sneered. They walked together down the corridor drawing nearer to the Principal's office. She knew Pietro could have zoomed off ahead – he clearly hated being around her – so it was beyond her why he was sticking with her and she said so.

"What? I don't wanna go see the lard-bucket if I can help it – slower the better!" He looked down at her and grinned, "What? You thought I wanted to actually walk with you? Yeah right!"

He smirked at the murderous look on her face. "Careful Quicksilver," he sang, "the clone's angry! She's gonna kill you!"

Resisting the urge to punch him (he'd most likely only dodge her anyway) she sped up and stomped past him.

There was a bit of a queue to see her (Pietro had had a brief conversation with Lance Alvers before he'd been called in while Laura had glared at him over the speed demon's shoulder) so they ended up having to spend half an hour sitting in the Principal's Secretary's office.

Neither had wanted to start a conversation so each ended up having to entertain themselves. Laura had watched the clock ticking – anything she told herself was better than talking to _him_ – and Pietro had, well, fidgeted for thirty minutes. He had drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair, quicker than any other human being and twice as annoying.

"Will you quit it?" Laura snarled under her breath after her patience finally snapped.

"Quit what?" Pietro said, sweetly.

"That."

"What?"

"Drumming your fingers on the chair."

Pietro's eyes widened apparently realising what she meant, "Oh this!" he said and did it louder. "Why?"

"Because it's annoying!"

"Its is? Excellent!"

He smirked, safe in the apparent knowledge that Laura could do nothing whilst under the secretary's nose and right outside the Principal's door.

Well, the secretary was so focused on whatever important document she was typing she probably wouldn't notice if a full scale hurricane ripped through her office. And a door had never stopped Laura before.

Her hand was halfway to his throat when the Principal's door opened.

"Pietro Maximoff!"

Laura retracted her hand and Pietro slid out of his chair, flashing her another smarmy grin before disappearing into the office, leaving Laura to her own devices again. Five rotations of the second hand later and Pietro came swaggering out and then went promptly flailing out of the door after tripping over Laura's foot that was accidentally-on-purpose sticking out much further than it should be. She smiled sweetly at Pietro flipping her off as she too disappeared into the Principal's office.

This was not good.

Her first day and she was already in trouble. She couldn't actually figure out what she'd done wrong, but there was no way Logan was gonna take that off of her. She was going to be in big trouble when she got back.

She really should have been worrying about that, but all there was only one thought in her mind as she sat in front of the Principal's desk.

"That's one big woman."

Christine P. Bacon was indeed a big woman. A very big woman. So big in fact Laura became very worried, very quickly for the safety of her very flimsy chair.

The Principal stared over her pudgy fingers which were pressed together on her desk. She squinted at Laura.

"I don't wish to alarm you, dear," she said in a very syrupy voice, "but your shirt seems to be undone."

Laura was indeed alarmed. She'd have noticed that for sure. Just as visions of Quicksilver undoing it exceptionally quickly without her knowledge flickered across her mind, she glanced down to find nothing was wrong.

"No its not,"

"Oh," said the Principal in apparently great surprise, "its meant to be that low is it?"

Laura growled under her breath. Yes, it was low, and she'd been very pleased with herself to sneak it out of the house underneath a jumper without Logan's knowledge that morning.

"How long have you been here, dear?" said the Principal, sweetly.

"Five hours, thirty two min..."

"I'll tell you," Bacon interrupted, "Five hours, thirty-two minutes and twelve seconds. And already, dear, you find yourself in my office."

Laura folded her arms and said nothing.

"And do you know why you're here?"

"Because ..."

"I'll tell you,"

Laura was beginning to wonder whether the Principal really knew she was there at all. Maybe she could just sneak out and Bacon would never know.

"Because you thought you knew more than your teacher..."

"I do know more than my teacher!" Laura insisted, "He was wrong!"

There was a very sudden change in Bacon's demeanor. All sweetness disappeared as quickly as her eyes seemed to in the severity of the glare she gave Laura as she rose menacingly and leaned across the table.

"This is your first day in my school, so I'll let you in on something. I don't like children, I despise them in fact. I especially hate uppity little girls who think that authority doesn't apply to them. Now the one and only reason that I'm not expelling you right this second is that word reached me from your mathematics teacher that you are in fact extremely intelligent. Finally out of all the millions of children that seem to be in this place, we have a smart one! I might even get some money off the government for this!"

Bacon leant over her desk, so close Laura could hear her gurgling breath.

"Unless you want to be expelled and therefore disappoint that charming Professor Xavier I spoke with the other day, you'll keep yourself in line."

Laura glared, "I don't like being used."

"Well you better get used to it, _dear. _Have I made myself perfectly clear?"

"Transparently,"

"Good, then please leave my office, I'm a very busy woman!"

Laura stood and headed for the door glad that she'd soon be away from the woman's putrid stench.

"Oh Ma'am," she said turning to smile at the Principal. "Your shirt's undone,"

With that Laura whipped out the door as Bacon took a horrified look down at the gaping hole in her flowery shirt.

Laura sneered as she left the office, thinking not a few obscenities as she entered the corridor. She wasn't paying any attention at all and all of a sudden found herself hurtling forward towards the floor. Her brain instantly snapped into gear and she shot her hands forward and flipped over onto her feet again.

"Whoa," was the only thing Quicksilver was able to get out of his mouth before he found himself shoved up against the corridor wall with a pair of razor sharp claw tips poking into his neck.

"What the hell's your problem?"

"Uh, I dunno maybe the fact you tripped me first!"

"You were annoying me."

"And you made my nose bleed the other day!"

"You were annoying me then too."

"Not my fault you're dense! You know thick, unable to comprehend, stupid …"

The claws were pressed harder into his neck.

"Watch who you're calling stupid!"

"Or what?" Pietro snapped, "You'll knife me?"

"Yeah, if you like."

Pietro snorted, "Yeah, right, your precious professor'll kill you!"

"I doubt it seeing as its you."

Laura was spared his next remark with the ringing of the bell. She quickly sheathed her claws and released Pietro just as the classroom doors opened and the masses began to stream out.

She felt Quicksilver zip off. A second or two later Rogue and Kitty were with her looking suitably sympathetic.

"So, how did it go?" said Rogue, offering Wine Gums.

Laura stuffed one in her mouth and blew her fringe off her eyes. "I _hate_ school."

* * *

Ah school, which resides in the fourth circle of hell, glad I'm not there any more.

I may use the boy in red again ... actually now that I think about it I've got a million ideas how to use him so he'll prob show up again but quite a bit later.

Cookie in whatever flavour you fancy for anyone who can guess who it is! Go on, tell me in a review!

Much love for you if you review.

So glad to get this up! And I'm actually very nearly done with the next chapter, it just needs some significant tweaking, but I should have it up quite soon.

Next Chapter: Laura does her thing, Logan finds out, they chat. Much love. Aah.

Love and hugs Angel x


	7. Nightmares 1:1 The Man in the Mirror

Bit of a shortie this chapter, but that's okay in my opinion because it couldn't have been very much longer. Plus I think this is the quickest update I've ever done so hurrah.

Theres a recurring theme in the reviews for last chapter so I'll address that first. Yes, that was so a Matilda moment, it wasn't my favourite film when I was young for nothing. Besides it was on in the background when I was writing this so I just sort of subconciously wrote it ... so I better just say I don't won it or anything before I get lawsuits on me or something!

Soldier Heart: Thank you! I hate Principals too! Only because I seemed to spend a lot of time in their offices for some unknown reason.

Ace7: Hey! New People! Yay! Thanks for reviewing! Yep have both read and watched it! Ronald, lol. I think its Roald. Weird name but anyway ... thanks for the love dude and enjoy the next chapter!

X-Fan: I agree, there are so few X23 stories. That's the main reason I'm writing this. I'm glad you thought I did that bit well, I always get a bit worried about Laura's confusion. She's not the easiest person to write, but she sure is fun.

Abbs of the faeries: Thanks dude! Yep, this chapter took a lot of influence from Target X. Hurrah! Cyber - Cookie for you! Twas indeed Julian, though he was just a random guy in the comic. Why is Julian in Bayville? Why's he picking on Mutants? You don't know? Neither do I! Lol, kidding I do. But this isn't his story yet. I like Chris P. Bacon myself, not at all based on a certain principal I had. And I definitely enjoyed writing Pie and Laura again! The fact that I am from England pleases me also, even though it has rained all summer, and the only thing remotely interesting happening around my area is a drugs raid next door. That was cool though, there were flashing lights and everything!!

allyg1990: I LOVE that dragon quote, though in hindsight it doesn't fit the chappie quite as well as others but hey, I don't care its funny. Beat up the chubster? I think I'm just about evil enough ...

Totally listen to the song below! It is fantastic!! Hence why it is this chapters quote!

* * *

_**'You never go ... you're always here ... suffocating me. Under my skin, I cannot run away, fading slowly.' - **__Already Over, Red_

Chapter 7: **The Man in the Mirror**

In her mind she was floating in the green tank.

_There were tubes everywhere, needles sticking into her skin, and every few seconds her body was racked with pain as they tested her pain threshold with more electricity than someone not possessing a healing factor could have survived._

She writhed in agony clutching her sheets desperately, her shaking hands turning white.

_The shocks racked through her body again, arching her back, contorting her muscles. She cried out sending a torrent of bubbles cascading out of her mouth. _

Laura tossed turned in a fitful sleep in the grip of another nightmare. She turned over onto her tummy, burying her head in her pillow, twisting herself up in phantom pain.

_She turned her head to the left and saw some of the bastards opening a bottle of champagne. After three hours of this they knew too that the six year old girl should be dead. She was in indescribable agony and those bastards were having a drink to celebrate! _

_She became aware of someone watching her intently. Just past the drinking generals she saw the piercing eyes of the man who took great pleasure in hurting her. Zander Rice. His eyes looked straight into hers. And then he grinned as the voltage was cranked up again and the little girl screamed harder._

Laura jerked onto her back and then woke up with a jolt. She sat bolt upright and let out a cry. She was drenched in a cold sweat, her face was streaming with tears and her throat burned with suppressed screams.

Laura groaned and buried her head in her hands, trying to calm herself down.

Breathe in ... breathe out ... breathe in ... breathe out ...

It didn't work, it never did, and she leapt out of bed with adrenaline coursing through her, twisting her fingers into her hair.

Every night ... every night she was back there ... with them, with _him_. Logan and Fury were wrong, they weren't gone. They were still around, haunting the place where they did most harm.

Tears fell over her cheeks as she leant on her dressing table, fingers curling up, nails digging into the wood, dragging through the soft pine. She heard several of them snap as wooden chips began to bury themselves into her fingertips.

Then her head snapped up, suddenly aware that she wasn't the only one reflected in the mirror

"_I'm still here, you know," _said Zander Rice, his blue eyes behind her gleaming in the dim moonlight, _"You think I'm gone? I'll never be gone. I'll always be in your head," _he said, jabbing a finger to Laura's temple,_ "making it all septic."_

Laura screwed her eyes shut. _'Go away!' _and when she opened them, he wasn't there.

But he'd be there again when she surrendered to sleep.

Without even thinking her claws had slid out under the skin of her right hand and automatically she drew them across her left wrist.

Scarlet pulsed into the dark, the pain throbbing sharply. More red lines joined their brother, delicate brush strokes on a milky canvas. She shut her eyes, letting the beating of her heart that grew louder and louder dull her senses into the only form of peace she knew. It was all so perfectly quiet, with only the rushing of her own blood ... so very quiet ...

So very quiet ...

"What the hell are you doin'?!"

Laura's hand stopped halfway across her arm. Slowly, she turned her head to the left, and saw Logan standing at her doorway.

In an instant he was beside her and he grabbed her arm. Her skin crawled at his touch and she instantly wrenched it back. But the damage was done. He saw the blood on her arm.

Laura cursed herself. So dulled was she she hadn't even heard the door opening.

"What the hell kid?" Logan said.

"It's got nothing to do with you."

"Don't you pull that on me!" Logan said, "As of last month you're now legally my kid so it has everything to do with me! Why are you cuttin' again?"

"Again? I never stopped."

"_Why_, kid?"

Laura didn't say anything. She didn't want to tell him. He wouldn't understand. _She_ didn't understand! He didn't cut himself. He didn't sink his claws into his skin just to give his mind something else to focus on.

So she opted for a shrug.

"See, I knew school was a bad idea!" Logan snapped.

"Why?!" Laura said, confused.

"Any number of things. You tell me."

"Of course it wasn't school!"

"Then what the hell was it?!"

Even if Laura had wanted to tell him, she couldn't have. It was like her whole being had twisted around the reason, caging it in, never to let it go.

Logan sat heavily on her bed.

"Okay, so its the middle of the night you're up dragging your claws over your arm ... I'm gonna go for ... nightmare."

Laura scowled, "Wrong."

"I don't think so, kid ..."

"Oh will you just leave it!" Laura cried.

Logan ran a hand over his rugged face, "Ya can't do this any more, kid. Ya ain't with Hydra no more, and ya sure as hell ain't out on the streets!"

"Oh well thanks for clearing that up, Logan, I'd never have guessed!"

Logan said nothing and just watched his daughter for a while, Laura eventually gave up and sat beside him.

"I don't get it, Laura," Logan said, eventually, "after all that pain Hydra put ya through, you wanna go and cause yaself more ... now granted I wasn't burdened with an over- abundance of schooling but I just don't get that."

"You don't have too," Laura insisted.

"Comes with my new job, kiddo, humour me."

Laura shrugged, "What do you want me to say? I don't know, I've always done it, ever since I got my claws."

Logan shook his head darkly, "And here I thought you were getting better,"

Laura sprung up from the bed spinning round to face him furiously, "I AM getting better! What more do you want from me?!"

"I want ya to damn well stop cuttin'!"

"What's the problem?" Laura yelled, "I heal! Every cut I give myself heals within seconds! I don't have so much as a scar! Anywhere!"

"That's ain't the point,"

"Then what is?!"

"Cuttin' ain't healthy, kid!" Logan yelled, "It screws up ya insides, and ya know as well as I do they don't heal so well!"

"Well I don't know about your insides," Laura said, snidely "but mine heal just fine!"

Logan sprung up, "I ain't talking about ya bones or ya flamin' organs kid, I'm talking about ya head! You and I," he said, placing his hands on Laura's shoulders, "we can be burned, beaten and take a thousand rounds but where we need our healing factor most is where it don't touch."

"Why?"

She said it in a tone of voice that even she had never heard before. It wasn't angry, it sounded ... broken.

"Why doesn't it help?"

Logan sighed and smiled weakly, "Darlin' if I knew that I'd be a much happier man."

Laura looked away desperately trying to get the tears in her eyes to disappear.

"No more cuttin', kid, d'ya hear me? You get that urge you come to me. Ya understand?"

Laura's insides squirmed. She thought he was about the only person in the world who could make her feel as he was now. Guilty, an emotion she'd never grappled with until she'd escaped. It seemed now to be her constant companion.

"Okay,"

Logan smiled and pulled her into another gruff embrace.

"We're gonna be fine, me and you, kid,"

He sounded better than he had a few minutes ago. Even if Laura felt infinitely worse...

* * *

Ugh! So short! Next chapters longer, I'll make it up to you then.

Still, aaaaaaaw! Daddy/daughter bonding ... over self-harming. Angsty but the fluffiness was there in spirit.

By the way, you absolutely have to listen to the song the quote comes from. Its my fav song at the moment second on my iPod only to 'Apologize' which I listened to a stupid amount of times last year.

Next chapter: Laura gets annoyed. Very annoyed. Lots of Pietro and an enemy turns up looking for our little clone warrior. Altogether now, Oooooh!


	8. Creed 1:4 Getting Away

Hi again, dudes. Well I'm at University, having a ball getting drunk every night – but I managed to sober up enough to write you guys this. Hope you enjoy!

Terez: Thanks dude. I like making them bond, though it may be getting a little too cute now. Of course I don't mind you telling me, tell me more I say! I will definitely read it, just a little busy atm, and then will write you a nice review!!

X-Fan: Well I dunno about perfectly, but thank you so much for saying so. I'm glad you liked!

Abbs of the faeries: Yeah I usually like my angst pure too, but the fluffiness crept in there somehow. What did you think of the song, btw? Yeah me likes Pietro annoyances too, that's why I write him. And Zander Rice? You'll have to read on love.

Soldier Heart: Omg! I made you cry?! I've never done that before! Dude, I'm sorry, do you want a Kleenex? I'll email you one!

Monkey: Okay, first, love the name! Second, I like you for using the word frigging, I use it too, please continue to do so! Ta for the review!

* * *

**"_And I feel its going down, ten feet below the ground. I'm waiting for your healing hand one touch can bring me round. I feel we're going down, ten feet below the ground, it's just the way I'm feeling," – _**_Just the Way I'm Feeling, Feeder_

Chapter 8 – **Getting Away**

_He'd picked it up by chance really, her scent. He'd only been passing through on his bike on his way back to the Mansion after trying in vain to track Sabertooth. He'd been hoping to have a quiet beer and maybe hit the Danger Room before being assaulted by the overly hyped monsters he lived with. But that had changed when he had caught that scent in the air._

_He'd looked for her of course, he knew S.H.I.E.L.D had too and of course Hydra would have been but no one had seen hide nor hair of her in three months. He still looked for her, but he knew she wouldn't come out for anything until she was ready._

_So he hesitated outside the old garage with its tyre stack outside the corrugated blue iron doors. She wasn't going to like him coming after her. But she wasn't safe out here, and that thought made Logan finally go through the already half open door…_

Logan shook his head, wondering how on earth he'd let his mind wander so much.

He was sat in Charles' office supposedly listening to something very important regarding maintenance bills or something. But his mind was still firmly fixated on his young daughter.

Father Failure Number One – 'Letting daughter disappear,'

Father Failure Number Two – 'Letting daughter blow herself up in vigilante quest for revenge'

Father Failure Number Three – 'Letting daughter disappear – again'

Father Failure Number Four – 'Allowing daughter to self-harm'

Letting number five join that list – 'Allowing daughter to _continue_ self-harming' was not an option.

He became aware suddenly that Charles had stopped talking and was staring at him intently.

"Am I boring you, Logan?"

"Sorry, Chuck," Logan said, "lot on my mind,"

Charles smiled comfortingly, "Need to share?"

There was just something about Charles which made you trust him. Something about his kindly demeanour – not to mention the fact he was telepathic, you _had_ to trust him really or be driven mad with the thought he could read your mind as easily as he did the Complete Works of Shakespeare.

So he told him about Laura. Charles sat and listened and occasionally nodded as Logan reiterated the events of the past few nights.

"I dunno, Chuck," said Logan, "Its like she's addicted to it … and if I make her stop then God only knows what she'll replace it with … drugs, booze …"

Charles folded his arms, "Logan if you want me to tell you that you're doing the right thing, then I will, because you are. Laura needs to stop … and I share your concerns. But I don't think there's much more we can do until Laura feels able to open up about what happened to her at Hydra."

"I _know_ what happened to her," Logan growled, darkly.

"No, Logan you have an idea, based of second hand information and dreams. Laura knows exactly what they did, she probably remembers every single day. And until she's ready to embrace some real help we're just going to have to let her get on with her life, however closely we have to watch her."

Logan glanced out of the window into the grounds. Outside several of the kids were playing the Institutes version of baseball. Over the few short years he'd developed an affection for all the kids there, he'd protect them always, and train them to protect themselves – he loved them all, really, even if he had a hard time admitting it, even to himself. But that thin layer was nothing compared to what he felt for Laura. He'd known of her existence for less than a year, known her, seen her, spoken with her for much less than that, and still he knew that she was number one for him now. She was all that really mattered.

So he burned with anger seeing the rest of the kids chasing the baseball Bobby had hit with an iced club. Not at them, and not at her – _never_ at her – but because he was slowly losing the ongoing battle for his daughter's humanity.

"It ain't good enough, Charles," he said, sadly.

Charles sighed, "No it isn't," he said, "but its all we can do right now."

* * *

The tags glinted in the fluorescent light. The words 'Weapon X' had been sliced in two by the beast himself all those years ago, at the start of all of this.

His hand clenched around them, his nails digging into the palm of his hand, nearly drawing blood.

Blood.

Oh there would be blood.

He thought of nothing else.

He was obsessed and he knew it. He didn't care.

The girl had been free for far too long.

Not for much longer.

They were coming.

* * *

Really, the security around the place was much to lax for her liking.

Later when she came back she'd bring it up – again – with Logan.

But for now she was grateful to be on her own walking swiftly through Bayville Park away from the noise and chaos of the mansion.

Eight days.

Laura had lasted eight days.

Eight long days with no blood shed. Not one drop. Zilch. Nadda.

The night after they'd had that long conversation she'd been transported back to the White Room. That dreaded room that was all walls and white and silence and blank. And when she'd snapped her eyes open, drenched again in tears and cold sweat Logan was already there.

He apparently hadn't been able to sleep. He'd only gone in to check on her. He'd pulled her into his arms as her hands itched and her claws sprung out of her skin, and told her it was alright, that she was safe. And it had been the same every night since. There was a part of her that wanted to think he was there just because he cared. But there was an overwhelming voice that said it was just because he didn't trust her any more.

And she was trying so hard to believe they meant the same thing.

She'd snapped this morning. At one of the people who least deserved it. Now that she'd calmed down and the red veil over her sight had lifted, she realised Kitty really hadn't been doing anything to upset her so much. Only a long running commentary over the state of Laura's wardrobe.

"_Black … black … black … Ooh, brown! Oh no it's black. Black … black …"_

On and on and on Kitty had droned as Laura's legs had begun to disappear under a pile of her own clothing. She had been outstretched on her bed counting lines on the ceiling when Kitty had barged in demanding a trip out to the Mall. She had not bothered listening to Laura's 'no ways.'

Black, black, black ... Black! _Black_! BLACK!!

_'Paint it red,'_

She had exploded on hearing that noise, though now she could not remember exactly what had been said only that Kitty had fled in tears.

Thinking now, she couldn't really say how she'd gotten here either.

So it was with her berserker rages.

Though that hadn't exactly been to her extremes. That had been different. And now her claws were burning, _begging_, to be dug into her skin, whilst her stomach swam with nausea.

Bayville Park was pretty huge. It consisted of a small forest, lots of wide open fields, two playgrounds and three small café places selling just about everything. Laura could just about see the place from her bedroom window. It was a lot smaller close up.

Laura trudged up a hill, passing the old, the young, the families, dog walkers and joggers

"Well, helloooooo, X-Geek!"

Laura groaned. She knew instantly who was behind her she could just see that cocky smirk on his face.

"If I have to suffer through you at school, then there's absolutely no reason I have to see you here! Fuck off Pietro!" she snapped not bothering to turn around. She sped up her pace heading towards a field. Beyond which lay the thin stretch of woodland.

"Oh well that's nice isn't it!" Pietro said and in an instant he was in front of her, "All I said was hello and you go and swear at me! Don't think daddy would be too pleased."

Laura smirked, "Yeah well daddy swears all the time so he doesn't really have a leg to stand on,"

Pietro smirked back stepping forward a little and looking down into those forest eyes, "No last time I checked he had two!"

"I didn't know you could count," said Laura. She pushed past and stomped off across the field. Pietro sidled up to her.

"Watcha doing?"

"Getting away from you,"

Pietro laughed, "You know, that's funny," he said, "'cos normally girls are clambering to get _to_ me!"

"Not this one,"

"Oh come on babe, what's not to love!" he cried.

"You want the full list?"

"Well you know there's the fact that I'm charming, hot, sexy, smart, witty…"

"Modest,"

Pietro frowned thoughtfully, "Yeah that too,"

Laura stopped and turned to him giving him her most menacing glare, "Look! I came here for some peace! Leave me alone!"

"Ah," Pietro nodded understandingly, "Sick of the rest of the X-Geeks, huh? Can't say I blame you, I'm sick of them right now and I haven't even seen them today!"

"Leave me alone!"

Laura stormed off again but Pietro was like an annoying little fly that buzzed around her and wouldn't go away!

"You-know-I'll-just-catch-up-to-you-anyway-doll-and-I'm-not-going-away-so…"

"I can't understand a word you're saying!" Laura snapped, irritably.

Pietro took a deep breath, "I _said_…"

"I don't care what you said!" Laura yelled, "Leave me alone, or I'll _make_ you!"

She raised up her fist level with his neck letting her claws shift under her skin. Pietro, however, was not fazed in the slightest.

"No, you won't,"

"Yes, I will,"

"No you won't,"

"Yes, I _will_!"

"No, you won't,"

"Yes, I…Oh for…! _Go_ _away_!"

He was asking for it, she thought, turning around and heading off in the other direction

"You won't," Pietro said, smugly, "Know why? 'Cos you like me!"

"What?" Laura said, clearly she wasn't the only confused person around here, "Where did you get that from? I don't _like_ you! I _hate_ you!"

"Ah, but the line between love and hate is very thin!"

"_What_?! What does that even _mean_, that doesn't make any sense!"

"Yes it does," Pietro said happily, "It means the more you hate someone the more you're trying to deny the fact that you _like_ them! Feelings can get blurry sometimes, us _normal_ people have to deal with that!"

"_Normal_ people?" Laura snarled.

"Yeah, you know, not like you and Wolverine who just seem to wanna beat everything up all the time!"

"Haven't done it to you," Laura retorted feeling her anger simmering in her blood. Why do I even care what he thinks? she thought, I _don't_ care! He's just annoying me is all! Yeah, that's it.

"That's because you _like_ me!"

Growling Laura grabbed him by the collar, dragged him into the woods shoved him against a tree. Pietro didn't put up much resistance. In fact he didn't offer up any at all and just let her manhandle him into the woods. He smirked down at her from his height advantage.

"Now I _know_ you like me," he said triumphantly.

"Listen," she said in a dangerously low voice, "leave me alone."

Her right claws slid out from under her skin and she pressed their sharp tips against the pale skin of Pietro's neck. "Now get lost before I do something you'll regret."

Pietro grinned evilly, then he saluted.

"You're the boss," he said, and with that he was gone in flash of silver and a gust of leaf ridden air.

Laura sighed with relief. Deciding she wanted to be actually _alone_ and away from all the people in the park she headed off into the woods, trudging through the thick, damp autumn leaves. Laura liked the woods. She'd spent some time living in them before finding her way to New York. Survival training was one of Hydra's top lessons to teach her so living in them had not been a problem. She'd actually quite liked it. And now she almost found herself missing it. It was the first place she'd felt truly like she was away from Hydra, though she still looked over her shoulder and set traps to protect herself from them.

She stopped and looked up for a tree to climb, another thing she missed, when all of a sudden she was nearly bowled over by a huge gust of wind.

"Pietro!" she yelled pulling her hair away from her face. The speed demon was leaning on a tree and waved at her.

'SNIKT'

Laura lunged for him. He zipped away and Laura missed by a considerable margin and ended up with her claws embedded in the tree.

"Missed me," he said into her ear. Laura growled and yanked her claws away taking a considerable bit of bark with her. She lunged behind her, her claws just missing Pietro by inches.

"Too slow!"

He began running circles around her until he was an almost solid silver halo around her whipping up leaves.

"Grrr! Hold still!" Laura yelled.

"Nah-having-way-too-much-fun…Oomph!"

Idiot, Laura thought as Pietro fell to the ground.

"I have very good hearing," Laura explained, "I hear where you are, judge where you're going to be, you collide with my fist and then end up on floor."

Pietro groaned, "Ugh! You gonna help me up?"

Laura shrugged, "I hit your chest, there's nothing wrong with your legs. What are you doing back here? I told you to get lost!"

Pietro shrugged, "I _tried_," he said, "but I know these woods too well!"

Laura glared, then gave him a swift kick in the ribs. He groaned loudly, the looked up at her and glared right back.

"You're a bitch," he snarled.

"And you're a jerk."

Pietro got up gingerly rubbing his chest where Laura had lashed out hitting him squarely across it as he ran circles around her and then kicked him.

"You know," he said, "you'd be great with the Brotherhood!"

"Why?"

"Well, clearly you don't like the X-Geeks…"

"I never said that," Laura argued.

"You're not denying it either,"

"What's it got to do with you?" Laura cried.

"Because I'm part of the Brotherhood," Pietro explained, "and I'm interested in anything that'll give us the advantage over the X-Geeks,"

"You do know that one of those X-Geeks adopted me a month ago don't you?"

Pietro shrugged, "So?"

"So, I'm not joining the brotherhood and that's…"

Laura jerked her head round to her right. The wind had changed in that moment and she caught a new scent on the wind. A dangerous scent, but whose owner she couldn't see.

"Are you okay?" said Pietro looking into the shrubs too. Laura shushed him. Her muscles tensed for battle she took a few small, wary steps towards the bushes. She knew someone was there, hidden, but she couldn't _see_ them.

"Laura what the hell…"

Suddenly, a great shaggy brown lump jumped clean over the both of them, bursting out of the dense shrubbery and landing like a cat behind them. A very angry, snarling cat.

The man before them was huge with long scraggly brown-blond hair and very long, sharp teeth and claws.

Laura got herself into attack position claws bared muscles at the ready. He may be big, but she was the best at what she did.

"Hey Sabey, baby!" Pietro cried and Laura heard terror in his cocky voice. "How's it hanging?"

'Sabey' growled bearing those yellow teeth wider.

Pietro giggled nervously, "Oh okay! Heh, heh, heh, RUN!"

Pietro grabbed Laura's arm before she could protest and for a split second the world turned into a blur as Pietro tried to use his powers to get them out of there. But this didn't last. Laura heard a loud roar and suddenly the world came back into focus.

The mutant had lunged forward and Pietro went soaring through the air smacking into a tree behind him. He sunk to the floor unconscious blood staining his sliver hair.

Laura let out an inarticulate roar of rage and lurched towards the mutant all her deadly weapons pointing at him ready to shed blood. The mutant caught her with his huge hands. It was like hitting a solid steel wall and it knocked the air from Laura's lungs. Winded Laura barely noticed the mutant lift her above his head. With another bone-rattling growl he threw Laura with more force than she'd ever felt and sent her solidly thumping onto the hard forest floor.

"So this is Logan's brat," he said.

"Who are you?" Laura spat. Before she could move or say anything else one of his hands was wrapped around her neck, one squeeze and she was dead. He lifted her as easily as he would a rag doll.

"Sabertooth," he snarled. "And you, my little cub, are coming with me!"

* * *

Le Gasp! Sabertooth has Laura! Nooooooooooo! Boo hiss! What does he want with her? What will happen to everyone's favourite Wolverine clone? How many more times can Pietro be shoved up against trees?

Next Chapter: Its Wolverine and the X-Men to the rescue! Cue theme tune music!


	9. Creed 2:4 Sabretooth

Guys, I'm sorry. Really sorry. I have a good excuse this time, I swear. Blimey where do I start. Lets see, I started university, have work coming out of my ears, I split with my man (his fault), and I came down with meningitis. So sorry its late, but I did the best I could

Anyways, shout- outs to the reviewers from a while ago.

Anon: You'll have to wait and see, lol. Even I'm not sure when he'll turn up. Ta for the review.

Abbs of the faeries: Lol. Yep Pietro is my fourth actually, after Laura, Julian and Logan. Eep, sorry to leave you in so much suspense, but I explained upstairs. So here ya are. Glad you like the songs, Already Over is still my fave!!

Flashgambitsxgirl: Thankies, I loved writing that last chappie!

* * *

"_**Arm yourself because no one else here will save you."** - You Know My Name, Chris Cornell_

Chapter 9 - **Sabretooth**

Sabretooth despised Wolverine.

Even that was an understatement. It rippled underneath his skin. It burned in his eyes. It dripped from his venomous voice. It overflowed, it drowned, it seethed.

And it was intoxicating.

She had fought him. Fought him until he'd broken every bone in her body. There had been blood, lots. Hers mostly, but his too.

Captured by her own pain, she wasn't sure where she was now. Only that wherever she was, it was cold, hard and damp. She felt her bones fusing back together, her torn flesh stitch itself, her blood regenerating. She heard waves crashing somewhere behind her, the roar of traffic and the hammering clink of rain on a metal roof somewhere above.

And above all that she heard a voice.

"You awake, frail?"

Frail. Was he describing her? Her present, broken state? One that he thought he'd beaten? Or was it one of those sickly pet names she heard everywhere. _Dear_, _sweetheart_, _darling_. But out of his mouth, it wasn't so sickly.

'SNIKT'

"Don't bother, girl," he said, "open yer eyes, and maybe yer'll find out why."

She snapped them open, pushing the burning sensation away, and looked up at her captor.

He was so _big_. Huge and barrel-chested, he seemed to fill up the whole room (though they occupied only a fraction of the gigantic space she saw now), his long dirty hair could have once been fair now fell, almost, in dreadlocks, framing a terrible face, that snarled and grinned equally. He was alpha all over. Entirely feral. He reeked of someone who had no superior. He was terrifying and intoxicating.

And he had a death wish, too, taking Laura. Her mind, now clear of pain, was formulating a plan.

"Ya appeared out of nowhere, frail," said Sabretooth, "years of being all alone and suddenly Wolverine has a kid. A girl!"

Laura snarled, thrusting her hands forward, ready to sink her claws into him, but they were yanked back.

"This place is a abandoned now," Sabretooth continued, "used to be a factory. All sorts o' stuff that – _grinds_ and _burns_ and _slices_ and _dices. _Those chains," he said, nodding to the silver around Laura's wrists, "guess what they are."

_Snff_

Of course.

"Adamantium," Sabretooth laughed. "They were meant to hold yer daddy. But I guess they'll do for you."

Laura twisted. She was up against one of the building supports, stripped bare by time and neglect, her arms pulled back tied with the chain, her legs bent under her, knees scraping on the jagged floor, tied with the same chains. She was stuck, bound and caged.

"I weren't too sure about ya, frail. Not until I found ya."

He squatted in front of her. His breath, bloody.

"Those little claws of yers," he said, "only one place you can get adamantium grafted so perfectly. Weapon X."

She burned at those words.

"So what they do? Steal ya away from Logan?" He chuckled, "Nah, I don't think so. How old are ya, frail? Fifteen, sixteen? See I've known the runt _way_ longer than that and he ain't never looked for ya, never mentioned ya – so my guess is, he never _knew_ about ya."

Sabretooth grinned, "Now, normally I'd go fer the runt abandonin' ya but that just don't sit right. Yer too young to fight so good. Takes years of trainin' to not _die_ if you attack me. But there yer are right as rain healin' up just fine and me with my own blood on my coat. So I'm thinkin' they got you young, real young, maybe even infant! Gotta be, ya ain't got time on yer side, littl'un."

He threw back his head and laughed, "So yer a weapon? Just like me and the runt? Oho, I bet yer daddy's real proud of ya, frail!"

Laura wrenched at her chains, growling, "What do you want?!" she snarled.

Sabretooth laughed again, "Proper little animal aren't ya? Answer's easy, frail, I want you because yer the daughter of the guy I hate more than anyone else. Opportunity was too good to miss. I mean – I don't get _that_ lucky too often!"

"What are you going to do?" Laura said.

Sabretooth's hand shot out almost faster than she could see it. He seized the back of her neck and pulled her towards him as far as the chains would let him. Further, even. Her shoulders burned as they clung to their sockets almost in vain.

Sabretooth laughed.

"He'll find ya, kid," he said, "and I'm countin' on it."

He leaned forward. She nearly gagged on his breath.

"I want him here." A sadistic grin. "I want him to watch his little girl die."

***

Wolverine was not afraid of Sabretooth.

Indeed there were times when he had sought the feral beast out, looking for a decent fight.

But here and now, he felt that emotion he'd felt only a handful of times trickle down his spine. Here in the clearing he smelt his old foe, mingled with the scent of his new daughter.

He had been so preoccupied trying to protect her from Hydra and her own destructive impulses that he hadn't once thought about his oldest enemy. And now Sabretooth had her. And God only knew what he would do to her, though Wolverine had a pretty good idea.

He had felt a compulsion to go and find her after his conversation with the professor. But she'd disappeared.

He'd followed her scent easily enough, devising all sorts of imaginative punishments for her running off. And there in the clearing he'd found Quicksilver staggering around, grasping a bloody hand at the back of his head.

He quickly found himself pinned up against a tree.

"Where's Laura?!" snarled Wolverine.

"Ack! Get the hell off me!" cried Quicksilver, kicking his legs, trying to wiggle out of Wolverine's grasp.

Wolverine pressed the knuckles of his spare hand into Pietro's stomach. The boy fell still.

"I'll ask ya again, where the hell is Laura? Where did Sabretooth take 'er?"

"Let me the hell go and I'll tell you!"

"Oh no, boy, this ain't how this works. See, you tell me where Laura is, or I'll let'er rip!"

"You wouldn't."

"Wanna try?" snarled Wolverine, "Or have ya forgotten just who Creed took?"

Quicksilver did not take too long in debating this. "Look I don't know!" he cried, "We were talking and Sabretooth just appeared, I don't know where the hell he is!"

"Last I heard he was hanging out with yer _dad_!"

Quicksilver laughed desperately, "Oh please, then why don't you go ask him! I haven't seen Magneto since that whole thing with Apocalypse!"

As much as Logan hated it he knew the boy wasn't lying. He really didn't know where Laura was. _Damn_! But there was a scent. A good strong scent. But a lead would've helped. Pointed him in the right direction without having to sniff it out first. He let the boy drop to the floor.

"Don't think we're done boy,"he growled, "I still wanna know what you and Laura were doing out here!"

Quicksilver's reddened face glared up at him as he rubbed his neck. He saluted and disappeared in a blur of leaves and silver.

Wolverine picked up the disturbing scent almost immediately. The mixture of his daughter and his enemy mixed with her blood, something which he tried to ignore, filled his nostrils, making him nauseous.

Sabretooth was tough. But so was he.

And the man had a death wish, taking Laura.

* * *

Yeah! Lets get it on!!!! Review even if ya didn't like! Angel xxx

Next chapter: Wolverine v Sabretooth. Oh yeah.


	10. Creed 3:4 Rescue Me

Ok people, visualise for a second. Visualise the ultra gorgeous, drop dead sexy Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth, something which I've been doing a lot of lately. Now, visualise the last description I gave for Sabretooth and discard it. Finally got round to seeing X-Men Origins and fell head over heels in love with Schreiber. Definitely the perfect man for the job. What did you guys think?

Its late, again. Sorry, again. I'd explain but I think y'all have waited long enough for an update.

I'm considering splitting the story up into parts as especially this Sabretooth story stands on its own really in the story. Yes in fact that's exactly what I'm going to do, excuse me for a sec, 'kay! ...................

Done!

Anyway, not important cos its all the same story anyway.

Onto the important bit, the reviews. Ten! Dear God! I am so happy I may combust!!!

Tekaro: I am nothing if not something of a Genie. I will definitely finish it!! Enjoy and thanks for reviewing.

Little Horatio: Oh dude wow, I'm blushing something horrid over here. Thanks for the review and I certainly intend to keep at it!! Enjoy!

Gomjibar22: Cool name dude! Thanks for the review!

PinkRangerV: Maybe, maybe not. Lol. I really have enjoyed writing him, so whether or not he dies is entirely dependant on my mood when I finish next chappie. Ta for the review! And yeah, I sympathise with her too, he's a bit of a bastard.

Simone Robinson: Ta for the review!! Yay, I like being awesome.

Firefly4543: Blushes. Thanks, dude. Dunno if this is soon enough for ya but I did my best!

HyPerPunnKGRL:You like avatar and this is good. And you reviewed, so far so good, lol. Thanks for the lovely review, it made me all happy after a particularly rubbish day at work. Nice to have you along, dude!

GeneralGambit:You have an awesome name, dude. Thanks for the awesome review and stick around because I'm getting to the good stuff.

allyg1990:By far my best reviewer, you also make me smile. I deff considered both those things but I decided to go with something a little more obscure .... lol. I like grossness, though, please continue. :)

Jade:What? I know the quote is from Firefly. If you go back to the first chapter, you'll see I mention this. Plus ta for the review.

* * *

_**"My dear, here's a sign, its the end of the line!," **- In the Dark of the Night, Anastasia._

Chapter 10 – **Rescue Me**

Sabretooth stood, and went behind the pillar to which she was bound. Laura gave the chains another fruitless tug. She discarded idea after idea, each one the risk factor was too great. She couldn't slice the chains, that was for certain. Slice off her hand maybe? She'd done that before, so it wasn't beyond her capabilities. But she couldn't reach either of her hands to be able to accomplish this. Not to mention the fact that that still wouldn't free her. She would still be bound by the chains around her feet. Most certainly slicing off a hand and a foot was not a viable plan. None of it was. She wasn't a match for him anyway. Crippling herself further was not an option if she was to survive.

That left just two possible plans.

One, wait for Sabretooth to become careless. Make a mistake. Perhaps he'd untie her to do whatever it was he planning on doing to her. Then she could strike.

But if he didn't, then there was always plan B. Wait for Wolverine. But even that was wrought with problems. Sabretooth had been planning this. He was the stronger. And he had a hostage.

Laura felt a disturbance in the air. Behind her Sabretooth had squatted down again. He brought his hand up to her throat, running the tips of his razor nails across the delicate skin there. She couldn't stop the chills it sent through her.

"You have no idea how it felt," he said, his voice hissing in her ear, "the man I want to destroy more than anyone else has a little girl. And he _knows_ how much I like playing with little girls." His voice snarled and his nails sunk into her skin. "Just about your age. Not quite so little any more, but not an adult either, stuck in the middle and all confused and mixed up. Perfect prey for a guy like me."

He seized her right wrist, his grip like a vice, nails piercing through her skin. Her claws burst through her skin, against her will. He knew exactly what to do, maybe through all his years warring with Wolverine. He crushed her wrist, and suddenly she couldn't retract her claws.

"These right here, little one," he said, "they should have been mine. They're the only thing that makes the runt any sort of match for me! I made a deal with the devil ta get adamantium on my claws but when it came to it ol' Satan himself screwed me over! And now look where it ended up. In the hands of some pathetic kid."

Laura wasn't meant to be afraid. Not of anything. But his voice, the voice of an unstoppable force that she had no control over chilled her. But she wasn't afraid. Not yet.

"Ya stole my adamantium, frail, and now," She felt her claws shudder slightly. He had wrapped his hand around them, "I'm gonna take it back!"

And he pulled.

* * *

The scent was getting stronger.

Wolverine tore along on his bike with Charles' voice echoing in his head.

"_Storm, Cyclops, Hank, Jean and I are on our way Logan."_

"I don't need help, Chuck!" Logan snarled pulling the bike off the main road and on to a dirt track leading off into the Harbour.

"_No, maybe you don't but Laura does,"_

Logan growled.

Stronger and stronger the scent became. He pulled his bike around amongst the ships and the crates piled high under the burning June sun. He zipped past them all, all the while knowing that Creed had left this trail intentionally. Creed would never have let him find Laura if it was only Laura he had wanted. But Creed had left the trail wide open. He wanted Laura found. And that sat horribly with Logan.

He pushed the thought of what he would find from his head for the moment and concentrated on the scent.

He pulled out from the crates and away from the ship, the rumble of the wooden pier died away and he hit cracked concrete.

Stronger and stronger.

And then …. There! A disused warehouse on the edge of the sea. Falling to pieces with all the windows smashed and menacing looking equipment spilling out of its half decimated walls.

"Gotcha you son of a b..."

And then he heard it. A sound so terrible it froze him to the spot unable to move. Laura was screaming. A strangled cry that sounded like she had tried to keep it in, tried to suppress it.

Logan ditched the bike, the animal raging.

_Snikt!_

* * *

Logan's kid fell forward as far as the chains would let her. She was shaking and her breathing was laboured, but already her hands and feet were healing up just as before.

Creed stood before her. In his hands he clutched six shining metal claws.

"Why thank you frail," he sneered and threw them before her.

Creed took a moment to simply observe the girl before him. She was tough, no doubt about that. The toughest girl he'd ever gone after. The toughest he'd ever made his prey. And that was all she was, the latest in a long line of women he'd left broken. But usually they were easy. Most took one look at him and his snarling grin and ran in the opposite direction. And then they were those who thought they could bargain with him, promise him everything they had, everything they could _do_, anything he wanted as long as he didn't touch them. It never made any difference, Creed always got his way. Unlike his rival he didn't ignore the animal or force it into submission. He _embraced_ it. And animals had certain – needs, certain urges that couldn't be denied, nor did he want to. He relished the fear in their faces when he caught them, the despair when he had his way with them, forced himself inside them and then the horror when they realised that their end had come prematurely. Death stalked all of them and he was the reaper.

But this little one would be hard. She had Weapon X written all over her. A soldier for them. A slave, just like him and the runt and that would not be easy to crack. But, he laughed to himself, she is still just a little girl. And she would _beg_ for his mercy before he was through with her.

Creed seized her raven hair, forcing her head up to look at him.

"Now," he said, "where was I? Oh yeah, this is the bit where I cut you loose. Now, yer gonna try and get away from me, frail, but ya already know that that ain't gonna happen. Yer trapped. And then when I've caught ya … well then its play time, little one. But relax," he cooed, "ya never know ya might enjoy it. Doubt it though." He drew his breath from between his bared teeth, "Daughter of Wolverine?" he said, "I sure will!"

And he extended his claws, raising up his right hand ready to bring it down on the kid when he smelt it. Another scent had joined them. He felt a thrill of disappointment which quickly disappeared. What better than for Wolverine to watch him violate his only daughter before he made him watch her end?

Creed chuckled.

"Come on out runt!" he roared. "Come out and get yer kid!"

Silence fell then. Deafening silence as Creed stood completely still watching, listening, waiting. Laura was waiting too, ears straining for Wolverine, but the old man was far too good.

"Don't want 'er Logan? Fine, I'll have 'er!" Creed threw back his head and laughed, shaking Laura's very bones. "After all, runt – you know what a sucker I am fer beautiful girls. And she is beautiful, Logan. Who thought ya could make such good lookin off..."

"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGHHHH!"

Wolverine came out of nowhere, a dark shape leaping from the roof with six glints of metal all baying for Sabretooth's blood. Suddenly Laura found herself upright with Sabretooth's claws sunk into her neck again.

"Ya think I'm gonna let ya kill her, Creed?" Wolverine growled, advancing on them. "Think I'm gonna let ya take her? No fuckin' way!"

"Now that's more like it!" cried Sabretooth, "Where've ya been, runt? Thought fer a minute ya'd gone all soft on me!"

"Oh I'm here, Creed, and I'm gonna rip yer goddamned head off!"

"Try it runt," snarled Sabretooth, "'cause after I've beaten ya half ta death, I'm gonna have some fun with yer kid and then I'm gonna kill her. And yer gonna watch! And then, Logan, then I'll end YOU!"

Sabretooth released her soaring forward through the air smashing into Wolverine. They were a blur then, tearing into each other with a ferocity that Laura had never witnessed. She was methodical, logical killed with no emotion. But these two? No, they were animals, clawing, tearing, snarling!

And she was powerless to help. Her eyes fell to her blades scattered across the floor in front of her. She was helpless, useless!

Crash!

And Wolverine was through the wall.

Writhing and yanking, pulling, the chains slicing into her skin, blood wrapping around her wrists ... and then she fell still. They were loose. They were actually loose!

She lost focus, staring at her own wrists together in front of her, perplexed.

"Surprise!"

Her head whipped round and felt her jaw drop a little.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed.

Quicksilver shrugged, "Rescuing you. Obviously."

"I don't need rescuing."

"I beg to differ, Princess!"

BANG!

Wolverine and Sabretooth were back, blood and bone everywhere crashing through the wall shattering it.

"I don't need rescuing," Laura said, "but _he_ does!"

"Wolverine?! Pfft, please, the guy regenerated from a drop of blood once!" Quicksilver hissed, "Besides, _I'm _the one who needs rescuing from _him_! He's going to kill me if you don't live through this!"

Laura shook her head feverently, "Sabretooth's going to kill him!"

Quicksilver blinked.

"Not our prob..."

Quicksilver fell silent, his eyes widened with horror as he stared at the floor.

"Are they...? Are they _your_ _claws_?!"

Laura's eyes darted across the warehouse, searching for something, _anything _that would help them. But there was nothing, nothing but dust and debris and … Laura's eyes brightened. Over there, the last of the machinery that had once filled this place with life.

A sugar processing machine.

"Quicksilver," Laura said, "I need your help."

* * *

Aaaaaaaaaannnnnnddddd that's your lot. For now anyway. I swear, swear, double swear I will try and update soon but I am so busy lately I could cry.

As always leave a review and tell me what you though, good or bad, I just like feedback.

Loves to my fuzzy nuggets, Angel x


	11. Creed 4:4 Blood Sugar

Wow, cannot believe how many reviews I got for the last chapter. So happy! This story seems to be gathering a bit of a following. So cool!

Chaos Sparda: Ah you have picked wisely, my friend. X-Men is a great thing to get into. The comics are getting good atm, especially X-Force where my girl is. You should read some of the fanfics on the comic page, I know some good ones. Thanks for a fab review and stick with me!!

ONIX-21: It may sound evil but I like the idea of a de-clawed Laura. Well evil is my name. Thankies for the review, oh and welcome to the story!

.: Cool name, dude, lol. Here's and update for ya! Thanks.

Whylime: Dude you came back! Hurrah! Anyway here is an update, please enjoy!

Natdrat00: Dude you came back too! Cool! Enjoy and thank you!

GeneralGambit: Thanks you, mate, sorry it took so long.

Little Horatio: Yeah, I'm loving the quotes, I have loads of fun picking them out, so If you're silly I'm worse! Thanks for the reviewing and enjoy!

PinkRangerV: Yes, she better! Lolz, Team 23 forever!!

allyg1990: 1. Schreiber is supremely sexy and evil, he has totally replaced Jackman in sexiness leagues. And evil … well, that just makes it better! 2. That moment was just so bloody cool! I love that girl! 3. He's pretty awesome too! 4. Creepy is awesome sometimes. Not in real life, would not want to meet him down a dark alley. 5. I think Pietro has a tiny bit of a heroic streak in him. But he's also not thinking with his brain if you know what I mean. Plus he's also scared of Wolverine killing him. 6. Gonna get messy!

Abbs of the Faeries: Yes, I am random, ridiculously random. Also was reading Alex Rider but there you go. HAHAHA! Oh now I want him to eat sugar! Lolz! Thanks for the review mate!

HyPerPunnKGRL: I feel mean and evil for doing it to her, but there you go that was the plan. Ta for the review!

San child of the wolves: Thanks for the review, enjoy his chapter!

* * *

_**"You're just another way to die," **- Another Way To Die, Alicia Keys and Jack White._

Chapter 11 – **Blood Sugar**

"That is the worst plan I have ever heard!"

"It will work."

Wolverine was faltering. Quicksilver would never have picked it up, but Laura could see. Subtle changes in Wolverine's stance, the scent, he was failing. And if he fell, then she would be next. Both her and Quicksilver would be dead. Laura decided right there and then, that she wasn't going to let that happen.

"What if that thing doesn't work?!" Quicksilver hissed.

"That's what you're going to find out."

"And when it doesn't? Then what?"

"I'll think of something."

"Is that before, during or after Sabretooth's chewing on my intestines?"

"I won't let him kill you."

"Bahaha!" laughed Quicksilver humourlessly, "Yeah, okay, whatever, like you can do anything!"

"Go now, please."

Quicksilver made a high-pitched indignant sort of noise.

"Dear God, I'm gonna die."

"No you're not," she promised.

Quicksilver rolled his eyes, but in a quick blur he was gone, reappearing in a fraction of a second crouched down behind the ageing machine.

Laura stole a quick glance back at Logan as he swiped his claws across Sabretooth's face. She knew she didn't have much time.

"Done!"

She heard the voice before she saw him. But he had returned, face set defiantly.

"I still think this is a bad idea."

"I know."

"He could kill you!"

"I know, but he'll definitely kill Wolverine."

"Yeah, well..." he stammered uncomfortably, "just, just be careful okay."

Laura looked at him, a little stunned, "I'm always careful. Do you know what to do?"

"Yep," he sighed, "I know exactly how this little suicide run works,"

And he was gone again.

* * *

Every bone in his body shook and rattled as he smashed into the last remaining whole wall. His vision swam and he felt nauseas. This fight wasn't going well, he could admit that. He'd be a fool not to.

He couldn't lose. He wouldn't lose. He would heal from this. All the wounds would disappear. But Creed would murder Laura if he lost. He knew he'd never heal from that. He couldn't bury her.

"You've lost it, runt," snarled Creed. "Clearly ya've been away from me fer too long!"

Wolverine slid to the floor. Before he could move Creed was over him, one hand over his heart, claws sunk into his skin. He grinned.

"Weapon X do that to her? Your kid. What they do? Steal her away from you, turn her into you? Oh, I bet that just killed you. 'Cos you were always the one who despised us."

"Yer talkin' out 'o yer ass, Creed."

"Nah, I don't think so," he said, the claws sinking even further towards the beating organ, "but it don't make no nevermind to me what she is. 'Cause she's sure as hell a beauty..."

"Ya ain't gonna lay a finger on her..."

"No, I'm gonna lay all of 'em on her. And if you think... YAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!"

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Creed had arched violently back, blood spitting in an arc from his back and as he did, his fist clenched through Logan's chest. The last thing he saw was his own heart beating in Creed's hand.

Creed knew that pain. The pain that was now coursing through his back. He stood. A few feet away from him stood the girl, with one of her claws clutched in a bleeding hand.

Creed laughed, "Don't think I'd forgotten about ya, frail," he said, advancing slowly on her, "Daddy's dead, so its just me and you until he heals up."

The girl stepped back further and further and in her scent he began to get the first tiny whiffs of fear. And it drove him crazy.

"I don't know how ya got free, frail, and ta be honest, I don't care, 'cos ya ain't escaping me frail,"

He threw down Logan's heart with a sickening squelch as he advanced on his prey.

The kid had stopped, she had backed herself into a corner up against the old machinery of this place.

He shot a hand out, seizing the girl's wrist, squeezing it so she dropped the claw with a clang.

"All mine now, frail."

* * *

Pietro had never been so nervous, and yes, he admitted to himself, even a little afraid. Okay, more than a little.

That girl was nuts! Her and her crazy arsed plan were going to get them all killed! So why, why, _why_, was he going along with it? He wasn't even one hundred percent certain what he was doing here in the first place. He knew he was here because he was genuinely afraid that Wolverine was going to blame him for this whole mess. And kill him for it. But that wasn't the whole reason, it wasn't even the biggest part of it. He wanted to save _her_ and he didn't know why. She was taking over his head. And as much as he was loathe to admit it, this, playing the hero, oddly, _weirdly_ felt good.

He was stood up on a metallic balcony, near to the old manager's office, hidden up in the shadows. Here came the nuttiest part of Laura's plan. Thick and deadly chains hung from the ceiling, once used, he suspected, to manoeuvre crates and produce and machinery at one point.

This was his last job, the rest was up to Laura. It was easy he told himself, unhook the chain from the rail, swing it down, whack Sabretooth on the back and throw him into the machine, easy peasy and they'd be back home for dinner.

It was an evil looking thing, that machine, he'd gotten a good look at just as Laura had said. A short conveyor belt led into the mouth of the giant, rusted old machine. And the teeth on that thing! Ugh. Two grinding cylinders with barely a gap between the, used to crush and refine and grind. He shuddered just to think about it.

Laura had Sabretooth where she wanted him now. But, Sabretooth looked as if he had her exactly where he wanted her too. Pietro seized the giant chain, unhooking it from the rail.

"All right you son of a … whoa!"

It was heavy, dear god it was heavy! And it was dragging him down with it!

"SHIT!"

* * *

"AH! SHIT!"

Laura looked up above Sabretooth's shoulder just in time to see her plan come into full affect. Though not quite how she had imagined it. With the chain came a silver headed someone. She dived out of the way just as Quicksilver collided with Sabretooth. Both went sailing onto the conveyor belt with a crash. Laura sprung up and grabbed Quicksilver pulling him off and the same time seizing the black box and hitting the green button. The conveyor cranked into life, drawing Sabretooth in. Quicksilver seized her shoulder dragging her away. She watched as Sabretooth hit the crusher.

"Arrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggh!" The sound was sickening, squish of blood and flesh, crunch of bones cracking and grinding. Blood spurted over the both of them, blinding them.

"Oh that is … disgusting!"

Laura had seen enough. He was almost entirely gone into the machine, his legs twitching vilely. She ran to Wolverine who was still lying drenched, completely unconscious.

"Logan!"

She felt for a pulse, but felt nothing. She wondered briefly whether he could heal from this. The thought disappeared from her mind as she remembered Quicksilver saying that he had regenerated from a drop of blood.

But it was taking so long.

"We need to get him out," she told Pietro, who was standing rooted to the spot, paler than usual, watching the last of Sabretooth being sucked into the machine.

"Oh yeah," he said, "I'll just use my super weight lifting powers shall I?"

"Stop it, and help m..."

The machine was groaning, creaking from the inside. They froze. The groans grew louder, louder.

It couldn't be, thought Laura, not so fast!

BANG!

The machine ripped open, splintering straight down the centre and Sabretooth reared up from it! It was like he'd been turned inside out, with all his tendons, muscles and organs on display in a pulsating mass of red.

"YOU ARE DEAD, FRAIL!" He roared.

"This wasn't part of the plan!" cried Quicksilver. "What do we do? What do we do?!"

She didn't know. For the first time in her life she didn't know what to do!

"Run," she said.

"Good idea," said Quicksilver, "much better than the last one!"

He grabbed her wrist.

"No," she said, thrusting him off her, "just you! I can't leave him."

"Oh yeah," said Quicksilver, "and when Wolverine asks how you died, I say what, exactly?"

"RAAAAAAAAARRR!" Sabretooth leapt deftly out of the machine, running on all fours straight towards them, his eyes on fire!

"Not going to be a problem," whispered Quicksilver.

They were dead. There was nothing else she could do. Nothing to fight him with.

"_Laura!"_

Sabretooth went sailing through the air, smashing through the roof in a bolt of red energy. He soared into the distance and crashed into the waves.

She looked round to where the bolt had originated. Quicksilver looked as if he could pass out from relief! The Professor, Jean, Cyclops, Storm and Hank were stood in the open doorway, Scott adjusting his visor.

Behind her Logan groaned.

He looked up at her.

"Ya all right?" he said and Laura nodded.

"I am fine," she said.

"How did ya get free?"

Laura whipped around, but Quicksilver had disappeared. Gone in a flash.

"Quicksilver," she said, "He was here, he freed me."

"Maximoff?!" cried Scott, "I don't believe it for a minute!"

"Its true," Laura said, simply.

"Kid,"

Laura looked back at Logan. He was staring down at the ground.

"Are they your claws?"

Laura nodded.

"And they're not growing back."

* * *

That's your lot for now chicks! Review if you can!

Next Chapter: Laura and the boy in red bump into each other again. And Hydra are sooo not done with their weapon.


	12. Life Sciences 1:3 Biology

Oo bappa do and how do you do? Your very own Evil Angel here with another update. This part is two parts fluff and one part very serious plot stuff. Enjoy, my minions!

AlyssJocelyn: Dude, is that your real name? Its lovely! Yes, Dr Who is my fave, I love him, hopefully one day the blue box may turn up for me. Sigh. Anyways thanks for the review!

KirbyRay: Yay, newbie! Ah yes, poor Laura, no claws. Lol, thanks for reviewing!

.: Muhahahahaha! Is all I have to say to my new title. Please continue to address me by it. Lolz, thanks for another awesome review.

Little Horatio: Oh, dude, so glad they're funny to other people too. Thanks, loads!

San child of the wolves: Thanks for the review, enjoy.

GeneralGambit: Thanks mate, and enjoy!

CitizenKate: Oh, yay a newbie, I love newbies! More to convert to the X-23 cause, muhahahaha! Ah, I'm glad you think so, but I can think of more than a few that are far, far better, including a couple of amazing X-23 ones. I think Logan can very much be an insensitive jerk, as displayed in X-Force #4 but he can also be extremely caring as I've tried to display. Lolz, I wouldn't make fun. I like essences, especially the herbal kind. Thanks for the review, enjoy!!

whylime: hahaha! Lol, don't worry 'bout it. Glad you're back and thanks for the fab review!

PinkRangerV: I might do. Or someone else might. Three guesses who, lol. Ta for the review!

Abbs of the faeries: HAHAHA! Your review made me lol so much! I was debating whether or not to make Sabretooth do it and now I'm so glad I did. Gives me something a bit different to do with Laura which is always interesting. Thanks, enjoy!

ONIX-21: Ah, yes, they do grow back, they're a natural part of her. The adamantium on the other hand was put there on on purpose, by the man who's hunting her right now. Anyway, thanks for reviewing, mate!

HyPerPunnKGRL: Oh yes, our girl is very much of the kick arse variety. I'm quite glad they didn't die too. Writing about dust isn't exciting. Enjoy and ta very much.

* * *

Chapter 12 - Biology

"_**Is there anyone out there? 'Cause its getting harder and harder to breathe,"** - Harder to Breathe, Maroon 5._

_Two Weeks Later_

Laura sat at the back of the Biology class, rubbing her arms. They were hurting a lot today. It was her bone claws growing back. Very slowly, mind. Hank had done scan after scan on them and judged that they were indeed going to grow back, just at a vastly decelerated rate. Apparently Sabretooth had done a lot of damage to their beds deep in her arms. It had taken a little while for them to heal and now they were taking their own sweet time in growing back. They were about as long as her fingers now, half done. They were painful as they grew, exerting pressure on the surrounding bones, tendons and muscles. It wasn't too bad, she had been through infinitely worse, but it was highly annoying and distracting at times.

In front of her on the desk was a dead rat on a wooden slab. But it was much less of a rat than the boy sat next to her. Wearing his usual red and leaning back as far as the chair would allow him, listening quite intently to what their teacher was telling them. It had surprised Laura mildly on Monday when she'd been unwillingly paired with him that he had so intently taken notes on everything their teacher had told them on the basics of dissection. He had surprised her even more on Tuesday when he had quite deftly assisted with the dissection of a small frog without so much as a flinch.

She had deduced that because none of his friends were in this class (too unintelligent she had decided) that he was free to indulge in a secret interest, namely biology, and prove that he was actually rather intelligent.

Though he was still acting like a … how had Rogue said it? A jerk.

"Not nervous are you?" he said, looking down at her rubbing her arms. "Its only a rat!"

He picked it up, dangling it in front of her face, "Woooooooo!" he said, with a laugh.

"I'm not afraid of rats," Laura quipped.

He smirked, "That's just because you've been living with them for God knows how long," he said, "I heard loads of them live down in the sewers now! How is it down there?"

"I wouldn't know," replied Laura. She'd love to tell him he was wrong, that mutants didn't inhabit the sewers, but she knew for a fact that a small minority of them did. The Morlocks, the ones that simply couldn't, or didn't want to fit into society.

"All right then my little prodigies!" their Biology teacher announced with an extra special scowl in Laura's direction (he hadn't forgiven her for her first day) "Any questions? Good. You have one hour, please begin."

The boy snatched up the scalpel before Laura could even move.

He nodded to where she was still rubbing her right arm. "No way are _you_ doing it!"

"I am perfectly capable of performing this task,"

"I beg to differ," he said with a smile.

"I do not care what you think," she scowled, "Hand me the scalpel."

The boy shook his head, "Nope. Blades all mine. _You_ can write down the answers."

Laura frowned, "You are relegating me to writing?"

He nodded, "If your hand gets all shaky and slices up Rizzo here, we're screwed. Therefore I slice and dice and you make sure we pass, kay?"

Laura didn't know who Rizzo was, but she didn't really care. She couldn't deny his logic and it frustrated her.

"Fine," and she snatched up the pen.

Half an hour later, they'd spoken no further except for the boy to report on his findings and for Laura to write down the answers she'd known since she was four.

He looked up from the rat, "Yo, pass me the..."

"Why do you never address me by my name?" It came out of her mouth before she'd realised it. She had been wondering about it for a little while now.

"Huh?"

Laura turned in her chair slightly to face him, "Why do you never address me by my name? You never say it or otherwise you call me mutie."

He looked a little perplexed for a second.

"Well... you _are_ a mutie."

"And you're a human," Laura said, "but I don't call you that."

He cocked his head slightly, "Fair point."

"Well?" Laura coaxed.

The boy leaned forward, "I don't call you by your name, because I don't have to okay, mutie?"

The tone of his voice chilled Laura, it brought her straight back to years before, her eight year old face staring into a man years her senior.

"_Are you afraid, Weapon X? Do you even feel?"_

Laura turned away. The boys blue eyes were uncomfortable to look at. If she'd have looked at them a second longer, she'd have seen something like confusion flicker in them.

"Besides," the boy said, "its not like you ever call me by my name."

"I don't call you anything."

"Exactly," he said, a little smugly, "not even a Keller."

Laura eyed the clock above the blackboard, two more minutes.

"You don't even know what _my_ last name _is_."

"I do actually," Keller said, nonchalantly. "Howlett, right?"

Laura didn't answer him. She had no desire to continue with the conversation with him.

"Well, I ain't calling you it, in any case," he said leaning back in his chair.

_Ten...nine...eight..._

"Are you listening to me?"

She stared resolutely at the clock.

_Five...four...three..._

"Howlett," he scoffed, "what kind of stupid name is that?"

..._Two..._

"Sounds like some kind of – _animal_."

_RIIIIIINGG!_

Laura was over the other side of the classroom so quickly, Keller wasn't even aware she'd moved. She thrust their paper in the direction of the teacher and left Keller with a very dead rat bleeding away on the table.

* * *

Laura stormed down the hall, thrusting her way through the buzzing hoards on their way out to the weekend, Keller's words still ringing in her ears.

_Animal._

Even he knew it and he hadn't known her. Animal. Rice's favourite word and he knew it instantly.

_I am an animal,_ she thought, _I am!_

She arrived at her locker, shaking. Throwing open the door she seized her things, thrusting them into her bag. They wouldn't go. She forced them harder, growling in frustration when the just wouldn't go.

"You know, it usually helps if you do it one at a time."

Laura didn't look up, didn't acknowledge his presence.

"You're going to rip it," came a sing song voice from above.

Laura preceded to ignore him. Finally he sighed heavily and grabbed the books and bag from her.

He placed the books gently, one at a time into the bag.

"See," he said, doing it up, "much easier."

Pietro held it out to her. Laura snatched it back.

"Carrying on with the social lessons," he said, "this is the bit where you say thank you..."

Laura pushed past him heading for the door.

"...and I say you're welcome!"

Laura burst out the door heading straight into the heat of the car park.

Pietro seized her arm, stopping her in her tracks.

"Are you avoiding me?

Briefly Laura contemplated telling him the truth, that yes she had been avoiding him for the past two weeks. The whole encounter with Creed and the fact that she had required Pietro's help had left her feeling puzzlingly uncomfortable in his presence.

"Of course not," she lied.

Pietro relaxed visibly, his grip on Laura's elbow lessened at she pulled away.

"Oh," he said, "I just thought... never mind. How are the...um..." he nodded down to her arms.

"I don't think we should be discussing this in public."

"But are they...?"

A car horn pierced through the air so loud they drowned out Pietro's last words. Laura looked over to the road. Logan was sat in one of the Mansion's cars, a black Mercedes, looking less than pleased.

"Well _are_ they?"

Laura shifted her bag higher on her shoulder and nodded, "Slowly."

"Oh, good, I guess," he said, shrugging.

The car horn came again. Several people looked in Laura's direction and laughed. Logan had been there everyday for two weeks doing exactly the same thing.

"I have to go," she said.

Pietro shrugged, "Whatever," and in an instant he was gone.

Laura made her way towards the car. On her left, perched on a red convertible were Keller and his friends, Keller's girlfriend perched on his lap.

"Daddy's girl!" he yelled after her, to an uproar of laughter from his friends.

Laura ignored them, wrenching open the door and falling in.

Instantly she knew she was in trouble.

"What time is it?" Logan snapped as he pulled out.

"Three forty-two," Laura mumbled, quickly glancing at the clock on the dashboard.

"Three forty- two!" he cried, "I told you, out at half past! What were you doing for twelve minutes?"

Laura could have told him exactly what she had been doing for each of those twelve minutes but she decided not to anger him further.

"I was retrieving my books from my locker," she said.

"And talking to Quicksilver!" he yelled, "I should be murdering that punk!"

"I told you it wasn't his fault,"

"If you hadn't been out with him..."

"I wasn't out with him! I was out and then I met him."

"Don't argue with me," Logan snapped, "You were out with him and you got caught. He got himself knocked out, great help he turned out to be!"

Laura looked at her father, "If he hadn't have come to help then I would be dead."

Logan shook his head defiantly, "Wouldn't have happened, kid, I wouldn't have let it."

Laura neglected to mention that Logan was unconscious.

"Why do you hate him so much?"

"Oh well lets see," said Logan, "He's in the Brotherhood, his Dad's a flaming terrorist and he nearly got my only kid killed!"

"No he didn't!"

"Why are you defending him?"

Laura slumped back in her chair, "I am not defending him."

They fell silent, finishing the journey home with neither looking at the other.

* * *

Logan watched Laura disappear up the stairs.

Ororo had accused him of being far to hard on her. In his humble opinion he should be being a lot harder. She couldn't run off. She just couldn't and he had to get that through to her, even if he had to tattoo it onto her forehead.

His blood had boiled when he had seen her with Quicksilver. He hadn't thought he'd have to be dealing with boys for a good long while yet. Of all the boys she could have picked! Magneto's son! Oh and she had picked him! If there was one thing that had never let him down it was his sense of smell. He could pick up teenage hormones from miles away. His daughter, much to his dismay was riddled with them. She liked Maximoff whether she knew it or not. And he suspected she didn't. He resolved right there and then as she vanished into her room, that he would not allow anything to happen between them. If he had to escort her everywhere for the remainder of his life he'd do so.

_Logan?_

_Chuck?_

_We have a situation._

Logan groaned.

_On my way Chuck._

* * *

Rice looked into the mirror, tracing his scar delicately with his little finger.

They were getting close.

X-23 was making mistakes. She had almost died at the hands of the animal Creed. Creed had been dealt with. He was currently floating in a stasis tank in the base of their Facility.

Her mistakes would serve him for the time being. They would be dealt with when he had her back.

But for the first time in fifteen years he had more to think about than the animal. They had a problem. From the ruins of his destroyed first Facility someone had pilfered his research and now it was being flaunted all over the television.

It made him laugh. They were proclaiming the first cloned embryo. Little knowing that he'd made fifty. The twenty-third of which was now fifteen years old doing things that conventional science had thought impossible.

She was his masterpiece. The thing which one day when science was not bound by petty morals would get him a Nobel Prize.

He was going to send the world a message. One they wouldn't understand fully for a while. Cloning technology was his. And he wasn't very good at sharing.

* * *

"Oh this is just great!"

Logan, Ororo, Hank and Charles were in his office watching the telly. A crowd of people holding signs had gathered outside a building in New York, throwing stones, chanting hate and trying to push their way through the lines of police barricading the building.

And for once it wasn't them.

Adinose Industries in up state New York.

Brand new centre that dealt with cloning.

And they'd just made a breakthrough

Laura didn't really like the television. It was full of what she considered to be very bad so called entertainment littered with people advertising useless things like lawyers. But she was bored. Logan's sympathy for the incident with Sabretooth had worn off very quickly so he had grounded her for another month. Everybody else was in the Danger Room. And she was stuck upstairs, having finished her homework, tidied her already immaculate room and been shooed out of the kitchen by a flustered Ororo. So she had ended up in the lounge with the telly all to herself.

Flick. Flick. Flick.

Nothing remotely interesting on, mostly adverts, mostly lawyers and car insurance.

"_....riots today outside Adinose Industries where scientists claim to have cloned the very first human embryo..."_

That grabbed Laura's attention. She watched enraptured. Turns out they'd only cloned the one and it had disintegrated soon after, but the point was made, it had been done.

Again. She had not been the first, but it looked now as if she would not be the last either.

The scene cut to a thousand or so people stood outside the doors of the imposing research facility. Shouting, chanting and holding plaques and banners, _monsters_, they yelled, _freaks_. It cut again, this time an interview with a protester.

"They ain't real!" he cried, "Fucking clones, out of science fiction or something! I mean, what the hell, man?! Ain't we already overpopulated enough as it is, without bringing some freak science _thing_ into the world!" he spat.

More interviews, more venomous words, all saying the same thing. They're not real people. They should be destroyed.

And then, very suddenly as the news reporter gave her closing speech, the building exploded.

* * *

Come on people, I am so close to one hundred views I can smell it! Please please please review!! Angel xxxxxxx


	13. Life Sciences 2:3 Physics

Oh Snap! Evil-Angel's not dead.

No, no I'm not. I am alive and well, and raring to go.

Break out the champagne and cue the karaoke because I have reached 100 reviews! 101 actually! Although I don't deserve them, I thank you all so much and love you all.

A.J. Thank you, thank you. I love those two, and I'm glad you're liking the way I'm portraying them.

Armed'n'strangerous: Wow, I love your name! Congrats on being my one hundredth review! Thanks a lot for the lovely comments! Enjoy!

whylime: Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to lay to rest our dear science experiment Rizzo :( my most favourite of all muppets, except for Swedish chef. And Gonzo. And Animal.

Silverwolf-fox: I did indeed! Cut down in its prime, I'm still in mourning. Browncoats forever!

QueenofQuill: Neither can I … no I kid, I do know. Sorry for being so late :(

walker in the rain: Ooh deep name! Cheers for the review.

Beserkerbeast: Thank you, thank you!

51readaholic15: Cheers me dears!

Walker in the wind: Are you related to the guy two reviews up? Thanks for the lovely reviews!

RogueLurker: Thanks!

Vi-Violence: Yes, on further reading it did a bit didn't it. Still the only way is up! Or whatever it was that Take That were singing about! Thanks for the review!

.: I do not like popcorn. I will however be munching on Maltesers when the carnage unfolds. Its not happening in this chapter. I recommend a good sugary snack when it does. As for being the best X-23 story, well that was my favourite review so far. Please continue to do so, it pleases me.

Abbs of the faeries: Explosions make me happy too! Thanks for the contribution to the cause, your sacrifice is most appreciated. Yes Keller does need a good smack. Foreshadowing, foreshadowing!

FlopsyOllie: I love them too, their so much fun to write. I'm dying to let Rice out. This story is severely lacking a good bad guy!

Chaos Sparda: He was never meant to be in it at all, but I love him so much he just had too. Lots has happened to him in the comics recently, but I guess you'd know that now! Whoo, the evil influence is spreading!

Courtney Summers: Thankies my dear!

PinkRangerV: I enjoy irony. I like having many spoons when all I want is a baloon. Or however that song went.

* * *

Chapter 13 - Physics

"_**My dreams are bursting at the seams,"** - Fireflies, Owl City_

"_Follow me!"_

_She was running, running up a set of stairs that seemed never ending. Up and up she went, chest heaving, thighs burning. She heard the laughter of a child – a girl – in front of her, and every few steps she caught a glimpse of two tiny feet running in front of her. _

_She stretched her hand out, reaching for the child – if she could catch her, reach her – touch her, then …_

Awake.

Laura lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Odd dream. Not like the rest. Didn't hurt.

Staring at the ceiling she thought hard on it, trying to pin it down and hold on to it, but like trying to pin Jelly to the wall it slipped out of her grasp and all she was left with was a snapshot of two tiny feet.

* * *

_Burning._

_Burning rubble, burning silk, burning flesh. _

_Still he pressed on through the decay of Adipose Industries as the dead and burning reached out and seized him. _

_He broke into a run, through the smoke, through the ash following the noise of the baby crying. _

_He saw an open door, white light flooding through it._

_I'm coming._

_He burst through and saw it, its cries piercing his ears. He brought it into his arms as the fire raged all around. He spun, and saw himself trapped by the flames. _

_He looked down at the child and froze. Green eyes, black hair. _

_Not real, the signs had said._

_He couldn't keep hold of her. It had turned to ice in his hands, slipping through his fingers until she turned to water, flooding through..._

Awake with a cry.

Logan rubbed his eyes, hard, hitting his head back on the pillows.

Adipose had been a disaster. Activists who didn't believe in cloning had taken the glory for it and had been hailed as heroes by some.

Nick Fury had thought differently.

Adipose were thieves. And they'd had their hands chopped off. _Blown_ off.

By Hydra.

Fury had come to the Mansion the day after the Adipose attack. He'd taken Xavier, Laura and Logan into Xavier's office and Logan had stood with his hand firmly on Laura's shoulder, shielding her from Fury as much as he could and listened as Fury had told her that Hydra were back.

She'd been very quiet since then, quieter than usual. Retreating to her room, staying away from the windows and Logan could feel the worry coming off her in waves. She wouldn't let him tell her that everything would be okay, she'd shrugged him off and left him in the dust.

He doubted she'd have believed him anyway. She could probably feel the worry coming off him in waves.

* * *

_Green light. From his hands. Powerful. Tingling. Uncontrollable. Terrifying._

_His._

Julian Keller couldn't sleep. He had nowhere to sleep. He had destroyed his bed. And his room.

Now he was staring out at the rain, completely on his own. This was his third night out here. He was cold, dirty, hungry, out of money, and completely at the end of his rope.

He didn't like mutants. But he hadn't come to that conclusion on his own. His parents didn't like them either.

That green light had thrown him out of his house with nothing and nowhere to go and he felt wretched. Like an insect that the world was ready to stamp on. He could feel the hate already, like a desert heat that seared his skin.

Lightening flashed and illuminated the gate that spelled out his only shot at life now. He, a mutant, who hated mutants, alone in a world, that now despised _him_.

He wanted to crawl under a rock and die.

He wanted to crawl back home and make them love him again.

He did not want to go through these gates and live.

* * *

_The steam is swirling around them, pressing into his skin, a bead of sweat trails down his face, tracing the curve of his chin. He hears his own heartbeat, swears he can hear hers and somewhere in the background he hears the rush of water._

_He doesn't know where he is, doesn't care – she is standing in front of him with her hands on his chest._

_He can barely breathe._

_Her face, the most relaxed he's ever seen it, as she presses her fingers through his shirt tracing the lines of his muscles, smiling as she explores._

_He reaches to her face, running her hair through his fingers and shivers._

_She looks up at him, one finger runs across his lips._

"_Show me," she says._

_He dips his head, she raises hers, reaching for her, almost claiming her …_

Awake bathed in sweat.

Pietro was cold, so very, very cold. His body felt like one great bruise, sore all over.

Where had that come from?

He tried to regain control of his raging heartbeat, breathing out slowly, trying to stop himself from shaking.

Anger boiled up inside him, though what for? He didn't know. For having the dream in the first place, or for it ending so abruptly.

He'd nearly had her.

He rolled over, punching his pillow.

I don't like Laura, he thought, I don't like Laura.

If he kept telling himself that, he reasoned, one day, he might actually believe it.

* * *

_She was silent and so was he._

_He knew what he was going to do, and so did she._

_He'd taught her so well to be obidient and quiet. He laughed to think the beast thought he was her father, when he himself had raised her in an image of his chosing. _

_She couldn't move, he would not let her move. He had her pinned like a butterfly to his board. No ... like a moth, ugly. _

He was awake, he would not allow himself to sleep until she was back with him.

Rice watched her on the monitor, watched her move, watched her breathe. He did nothing but watch her, he knew he was obsessed.

"I'm coming for you," he told her, "and I'm going to fix you."

His face came closer to the screen, looking into her eyes.

"I am the only one who can fix you."

* * *

Next Chapter: How will Laura react not only to Hydra being back but also to Keller coming to the Mansion? What will Pietro do about his feelings? And just how long is Rice going to remain sane?

Soon, I swear, Angel xx


	14. A note to all my reviewers

Dear all my lovely reviewers.

I can't believe its been two years since I last uploaded. I can't believe I'm still getting reviews! I thank each and every one of you for each and every one of them.

I'm sorry for abandoning this story but I had a good legitimate reason for leaving. His name is Noah, he is now 11 months old. I hope you can forgive me but he needed my attention more than the story did.

However, the uncontrollable urge to write has come again and I really want to get back into writing this story. I need to familiarise myself with it again. Read it thoroughly, see where I was taking it and hopefully bring you all a satisfying conclusion.

I hope you stay with me. I will bring you the next chapter as soon as I can.

Hoping you are all well and happy,

Evil-Angel


	15. Life Sciences 3:3 Chemistry

And here we are again everybody. After two years, no updates and one healthy baby who snuggles up with his Wolverine plushie at night, I am back and raring to go.

So much has changed for me and I assume for you in the past two years. I'm a mum now. No dad in the picture but that is his loss. My baby boy, Noah, is eleven months old and a bundle of energy. He fancies himself a comedian too. He drew all over his grandad's white shirt this morning and laughed his little head off when he got told off.

Having re-read the story I have noted more than a few inconsistencies in the narrative that I want to go back and fix. Especially regarding the time-line. For now, it is the third week of June in the story. I say I want to go back and fix a lot of things I don't like, but that is time I could spend on writing new chapters. So I will leave any rewrites until last I think. If anyone has ever noticed anything that doesn't add up, let me know in case I have missed anything.

I won't keep you any longer from your well deserved update but I do want to again thank everyone who has reviewed in my absence. You are the sole reason I decided to carry on with this story.

I got a grand total of 42 reviews for last chapter. I am so grateful! Please, if you have anything to say, bad or good, drop a review, I will reply to each and every one of you. Its the least I can do for your trouble. So find your reply in this lot, then join me below for the next chapter.

Lychee loving: Don't ask anyone else where I've been will you? I've avoided a lynching thus far. LOTR, Firefly and X-Men are three of my favourite things. Had to find a way to mash them all together somehow! Thanks for the review!

QueenofQuill: I am just as happy to be back, I assure you. Thanks for your congrats. He's a lovely boy and the absolute light of my life, but dear Lord he hates sleep! Just doesn't need it apparently. Bless him. I agree with you totally about the Laura/Logan relationship. So much had changed with them in the comics these past few years. He simultaneously pushes her away, then brings her closer with the adoption only to just hand her over to the Avengers. Luckily, I have a bit of leeway with this being the cartoon version. They are both slightly closer to each other than I think they will ever be in the comics. He is a useless father to her in the comics. I think he would eventually try and be a good one to her in the cartoon. And don't worry, Laura will never call Logan dad. It just doesn't sound right. And how did Ghana go by the way? I'm so impressed and proud of you, that sounds amazing!

TheRavenFlute: Thank you for your reviews and your congratulations. Noah is very well. Very into X-Men, I'm so proud. I like my author notes too, though reading them back I sound like a very immature teenager! Hard to imagine what that was like now. Sorry for leaving you in the lurch and hope you stick with me.

Obiwan1527: Here's the update for you Mr Jedi. Many thanks for your reviews.

ZeLuNatic22: Fantastic name! I'm sorry it took so long but I hope this is good enough for you. Thanks a lot for the review.

Gage39: I'd forgotten about that exchange! I wrote that nearly four years ago! I remember it being one of my favourites as well. Here's hoping I write another you like just as much soon! Logan likes to think he knows Laura backwards and to an extent he does, but there'll be some times where she'll surprise him I'm sure.

TheRandomCatAssassin: Again, great name! Why do all my reviewers have such fantastic names? Thanks for reviewing, sorry for the long delay. Noah apologises.

Moonrabits: How much? Babies are expensive you know! Kidding. Thank you for your kind words. I'm not a fantastic writer yet but I hope I'm improving.

.: Fix that chair. Right now, young man. Or lady. I promise I am absolutely going to get to that bit of the story. My Laura is just not quite there yet. Stick with me, I will absolutely get to that!

Tmmdeathwishraven: Keller certainly is a mofo! Lots more of him to come. Poor confused boy. I love Pietro and Laura! There one of my favourite Xmen pairings even though they are by no means canon. I don't even think they met in the cartoon. They certainly haven't in the comics.

KeitorinNara: Reading it back, I absolutely agree that the fight scene could have been written a hell of a lot better. Wolverine certainly did heal way too fast. If I have time when I've finished the story I want to go back and amend a lot of stuff. Little details that don't quite add up, that sort of thing. The fight scene will be one of the first things to fix. Gruff Wolverine's coming, I promise. Maybe not in this chapter. But Logan certainly ain't no marshmallow. Thanks for the criticism, I certainly need it!

Lauraxpietro: I love them too! I hope a certain something in this story will make you happy!

x-23snikt: Are you on ComicVine? I recognize your name. Anyway, here's the next chapter for you, I hope you enjoy.

Keshafan44: sorry for the delay, thank you for the review and I hope you enjoy it.

Walker in the Rain: Indeed my weathery friend! Thank you for you kind words and enjoy the update!

12kirby12: Thank you for the kind words. Enjoy this long overdue update.

KungFuHime2009: Damn dude! Thank you so much for all the reviews! Much, much appreciated. Just picking up on a couple of points. Yep, I am definitely brutal. Goes with the name. This is X23 her life isn't bunnies and rainbows. I believe, too that Logan would be a good dad if he tried and put the effort in. He is afraid I think, to let Laura in because she is so much like him. He can see in her all his flaws and that is painful for him. But Laura desperately needs him and sometimes I just wish he would man up and take care of her. He may not have asked for her to be in his life but she's here to stay. And yes, Kitty said "like" way too much. I do want to go back and rewrite certain aspects of earlier chapters as I'm not happy with many of them. But I don't think anyone would forgive me if I didn't finish the story first.

AcidxSunshine: great avatar man, Half life 2 is brilliant. I know how you feel. I love Laura, I wish she could get her life together.

Anon: many thanks for the review, whoever you are! And Maltesers are a British sweet. Malty bisquit covered in chocolate. Aka, the greatest things ever.

MoEscoB: Laura simply wouldn't want to hear it right now. She's in a completely depressed state of mind and not a lot anyone will say to help her actually will. She's got a lot to work out and a lot to go through before she can begin to heal. She still doesn't understand that it wasn't her fault what happened, or what she was made to do. One day details like that will help her, but not now. Thank you very much for the review.

Book-Devourerx: Don't know about original but I just hated how Laura was being portrayed in certain fanfics a few years back. In some of them she was a perfectly fine teenage girl who enjoyed going shopping and listening to music. I wanted to write her as I saw her. A traumatised little girl who nobody knows how to help. I don't think I pulled that off very successfully in the first few chapters of this fic but I will endeavour to do better in this final act.

A.J: Well? Don't know about well, but he will attempt to handle them! Laura's got bigger things on her mind right now than Keller. But they will cross paths.

Talon83: True that, my friend. True that!

Vi-Violence: I'm so, so sorry! I had a bun in the oven who never kept still long enough for me to sit at the computer for very long to complete a chapter. Then he popped out and didn't sleep! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next update.

FlopsyOllie: I adore your user name. My son's toy rabbit is named Flopsy and Ollie is his middle name. Not Oliver, just Ollie. I like the dream chapter, definitely one of my favourites to write.

52readaholic15: Yes, alive and well tired! I love Pietro. I love how he just doesn't know how to handle himself! And Hydra are going to be big, big, trouble very, very soon. Keep watching!

* * *

Chapter 14 - _Chemistry_

"_**Come take a walk on the wild side, let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain"**_ - _Born to Die, Lana del Rey_

_The men in white stand in the doorway of her cell and tell her to get up. Rest is over, the Doctor wants to see her. Stiffly, she uncurls from her bunk and stands in silence. They lead the child away, down sterile corridors, past rooms that still reek of blood, past people not dressed in white that refuse to meet the child's eyes. _

_Instinctively, she knows exactly which Doctor wants her and the thought makes her stomach writhe. Only two of the Doctors have anything directly to do with her. If its the lady, the nice one, the child's day will be hard, she will collapse with exhaustion at the end of it but will be rewarded in some way. A look, a touch, a smile. A story if she's been especially good._

_But if it is him … then her day will be unbearable. He may not let her sleep at the end of it. She cannot imagine what new pain he will inflict on her today. What test he has devised._

_She is correct. The men in white lead her into one of his labs. The smaller one. There are two men in there. The first one is new, she does not know his face. But he catches her eye and gives her the tiniest of smiles. She does not dare return it as she does with the lady Doctor because _he_ is in the corner. His back is turned, working on something at his desk, but he knows every little thing she does, regardless of whether or not he can see her. _

_The men in white leave and the child is left with these two scientists._

_The room is almost devoid of equipment today. In the centre of the room are two objects of surprising simplicity. A chair and in front of it a large container of water. _

"_Sit down, X-23."_

_He is still busy with whatever he is doing. But by the time she has clambered up onto the chair he has turned around, with a smirk on his face and some sort of silver rod in his hands._

"_Tie her hands behind her back."_

_He is talking to the first one, but his eyes don't leave the girl. Her hands are whipped behind her back and bound with the strips of plastic again. She does not fight. She does not react. _

_Her gaze drops to the water below. Ordinary enough. Cold and deep. But there's something not right about it. There's a sheen to it she doesn't recognize and a sweetness to the smell. _

_He has added something to it._

_But even as this thought forms in her mind her face breaks through the skin of the water. She jerks up, but hands meet her holding her down. Her chest is on fire, she hadn't drawn breath … A bitter, vile substance fills up her mouth, and buries itself into her nose and behind her eyes ..._

_Then she is pulled up, she gulps down air, willing the pain in her chest to ease. Her lungs lurch and clear, but the taste remains._

"_Again."_

_She fills her lungs before again, she is forced down into the water. _

"_Again."_

_She loses count after a while. Each time lasts longer and longer until the final time she is under so long, she has breathed it in. Her head swims, her vision turns blank and when she regains some semblance of where she is, she is kneeling on the floor being violently sick._

_But the taste of the water won't go._

"_Get her back on the chair," he is saying._

"_Doctor Rice, are you sure we should..."_

"_Get her back up."_

_The first one pulls her back up by her arms as she tries to stop the spasms that rack her whole body. _

_He steps up next to her, the silver rod gleaming in his hand. He clicks it to life and she understands what he is about to do to her. _

"_Step back," he says to the first one. _

_He electrocutes her twenty times before finally, mercifully, she passes out._

_But until the time she is firmly under control, the pain will come again and again and again and again..._

* * *

Laura sprang up, her throat burning with suppressed screams. She swallowed two, three, four times, trying to keep them at bay, trying to stop the dizziness that held her.

_It's okay, you're okay. Breathe. You're home._

The sheet clung to her and her hair matted to her forehead but eventually as she forced herself to breathe in for ten, out for ten over and over, she calmed. Though her heart still pounded in her chest.

Laura drew her knees up to her chest, curling her arms around them and burying her damp face into them.

The nightmares were getting so much worse. Times and events she hadn't thought of in years were now at the surface of her mind bursting through at her most vulnerable times. Most were of the Facility, most of Dr Rice and his smirk. Some were even of Creed, where Logan and Pietro hadn't come to save her and Creed had followed through on his threats. She had awoken in a cold sweat, leaping up from her bed, terrified he had still been in it.

Involuntarily her claws burst through her skin. They weren't quite as long as they had been, and she couldn't get used to the new pain of the bone tearing its way through savagely through her skin, but they were enough to draw dark lines across her thighs.

The worst of her nightmares were new. Slit throats, bleeding chests, blank eyes staring up at her, women, men … children. And then this _thing_, with lank, black hair and dead, green eyes with glinting claws that dripped with their blood who she didn't recognize. Because how could that thing ever have been Laura, when that thing didn't feel anything at all and Laura sat shaking in her bed?

She felt as if she were twisting in on herself, her skin was itching.

Damn Logan. He had no idea what it felt like to want to tear your skin off. What could he say to make this any better?

Laura leapt out of bed, launching herself into her bathroom and locking the door behind her. Not daring to look in the mirror she stripped her pyjamas and climbed into the bath and thrust her claws into her thigh.

Choking back a cry, she felt her guilt wash away in a stream of blood that spiralled down into the drain.

It was three in the morning, she was exhausted, but again she would not let herself sleep. Was a few hours of peace too much to ask for?

Hydra were back. Fury had come to the Mansion and told her they had claimed responsibility for an attack on a company that claimed to be experts in cloning. It wasn't like Hydra to be so public. But Laura knew what it meant. She knew without knowing that Rice had survived. The worst ones always did, how else could Laura explain her own continuing existence? The attack had been a message to her. _I am still here, I am coming for you._

She had surrounded herself with people she had allowed to become close to her. She had put them in unimaginable danger. Logan would certainly try to protect her, but how much could one man, as great as he was, do? She knew him a little, knew that being the pet of Weapon X would send him over the edge. She couldn't do that to him. And what about the children? They could try and defend themselves but they would ultimately fail. The Facility had ways and means and if she with all her years of training could do little to stop them, what chance would they have? The idea of them trapped in the white room, with needles and tubes and blood and pain, hurt so badly she plunged her claws into her other thigh and listened to the pulse of blood as it throbbed over her pale skin.

And Pietro …

If Rice knew about Pietro then …

She could not even begin to imagine what Rice would do to Pietro if he find out that they … But they _what?_ She didn't know, could not describe what Pietro was to her. All she knew was that she had spent more time thinking about Pietro than anyone else she had ever known. It frightened her.

Laura wished for the first time that she could talk to Dr Kinney.

Swiftly, she banished the thought from her mind. Dr Kinney was not her ally. She never had been. She had stood by and watched as Dr Rice had tortured her. She had only pretended to love her. It had not once been real. Laura knew that now she knew what a real parent's love felt like. If Dr Kinney had truly loved her, Laura reasoned, she would have given her to Logan when she was a baby.

But she still wished she could ask her what this was between her and Pietro. If there was anything at all.

Kinney.

Where was Dr Kinney anyway? All Laura knew was what Logan had told her. Kinney was being held in a SHIELD facility no where near here. Laura was never to see her again, so don't bother asking. Logan had been so angry, so infuriated when they had first discussed Laura's mother, that she had not dared ask again. He had noted, with a certain sadness, that Laura looked like her.

Would Kinney know what to do? Would she be able to tell Laura what it is she should do? If she ran Logan would drag her back. If she stayed then she was putting her friends in danger. If she talked to Logan then he would tell her not to worry, let him do all the worrying. It would be the same problem with the Professor. They would shut her out, keep her in the dark so that she would not be able to prepare.

She didn't know what to do. She was scared to do one thing or the other. She wanted Logan and Kinney to tell her what to do. She wanted them never to speak to each other. She wanted to turn back time and never leave the Facility. She wanted them all to die and leave her with her life. She wanted to shut off and sleep. She was so very tired.

Stretching her hand above her she flicked on the shower head and gasped as the hot water burned her scalp. But she didn't make it colder. She'd heal anyway.

Her skin was covered in cuts by the time dawn crept over the horizon and by seven, they had healed.

Laura had no desire to get up at and go to school. She wanted to go to the Danger Room and slice up some robots and pretend they were Rice. But she couldn't ask to stay home, she couldn't even pretend she was sick! Logan would definitely know something was wrong then. So with her skin still pink and steaming she forced herself to wash away the last scent of blood and sweat and finally dress. At last, Laura looked herself in the mirror. She had dark circles around her eyes from weeks of very little disturbed sleep. She could only hope no one would notice. Luckily they were smack bang in the middle of the school exams, everyone was frazzled, everyone was stressed and wrapped up in the own problems to notice anyone else's.

There was no knock on the door today. Kitty was probably down in the kitchen, revising. Rogue was probably still asleep.

So Laura straightened up for the day ahead. She couldn't let the mask slip. She wasn't ready for that yet. That was a new nightmare she couldn't face.

* * *

Pietro had no desire to go to school and fail all his exams. Twenty minutes before he was supposed to be in his first lesson he was still in his boxer shorts watching TV with a bowl of cornflakes and sugar perched on his stomach.

What was the point? He'd go, fail, feel bad, come home and wallow in self pity eating cornflakes and sugar on the sofa. Might as well just skip to the last.

Already the sugar was wreaking havoc with his powers. His legs jumped every few seconds. He'd have to go run it off soon. If he left it he might break a few more support walls and then where would they be?

He'd had a truly lazy week. He hadn't been sleeping all that well. Every night it had been the same. He'd been chasing after a certain raven haired girl who he could never quite reach and if he rarely ever did, his dream was cut short in its prime.

Above him the ceiling rattled as Blob gave another almighty snore, sending a trail of dust spiraling down into Pietro's cereal. Tutting in disgust he chucked it onto the floor adding another milk stain to the wretched carpet.

Beside him Lance threw him a look.

"Dude, this house is fucked up enough."

Pietro shrugged, "One more stain won't make a lot of difference."

In front of the TV, Toad was sat on the floor eyeing up the flies that were buzzing around last weeks pizza. All around him were stained rings where he hungrily salivated as he regarded his prey.

It seemed to only ever be these four in the house these days, Wanda had left weeks ago. No one had a clue where she'd gone. She hadn't bothered to say goodbye, not that Pietro would expect her to. They hadn't exactly been best friends. But there was a significant part of himself, that had been devastated when she left.

First his father, now his twin sister.

"Where's Gambit at?" Lance asked, listlessly.

"Fuck knows," Pietro replied, "he wasn't here when I got in last night. He'll be in some girl's bed somewhere, you know him."

Lance shrugged. "He's not the only one! I'm seeing Kitty tonight," he said, smugly, folding his hands behind his head.

Pietro smirked, "Aw for some hand holding and a quick kiss on the forehead before eight-thirty? Damn am I jealous, man!"

Everyone knew that Kitty was too much of a good girl to let Lance anywhere near her bed.

Toad belched out a laugh.

Lance snapped his eyes open, "Just because you haven't been able to convince the clone into pity sex yet doesn't mean the rest of us aren't getting any!"

"Haha! Not even a clone'll have ya, Pietro – AAARGH!

Pietro gave Toad a swift whack on the head as he leapt up from the couch with a venomous "Fuck you!" in Lance's direction as he sped up the stairs.

"Face it, Quicksilver, she'd rather gut you than touch you!"

Pietro slammed the door shut against his so called friends laughter, rattling the poorly placed window. His legs were about to explode if he didn't go for a run soon.

It wasn't like Lance was saying. That wasn't what he wanted. She was hot, he couldn't deny that. One day, maybe …

He was just so lonely. He was surrounded by friends but still on his own. Just like he had been when his father abandoned him, just like he had been when he had watched his sister being dragged into the mental asylum...

His father had promised him such power, a place at his right hand side. He had promised him he would stay this time...

More fool Pietro.

He had not had a very good night's sleep last night. He had woken up at three in the morning with the taste of her still on his lips.

This was getting out of hand. He had to do something. Either tell her or cut her off completely. No! No, not the second one! He needed her. Teasing her, fighting her, was keeping him sane. God what was wrong him! Getting some sort of strange pleasure from her beating him up! He was sick. He had to be.

But he had enjoyed playing the hero when he had helped save her from Creed. A new feeling for him as he was used to playing the villain. He liked this glimpse of a side to him he hadn't known existed. It allowed him to hold his head up, walk a little straighter. Feel something of worth. He was a lousy villain anyway.

Pietro wanted out. Our of the Brotherhood, out of this shitty house, out of always being the bad guy!

He couldn't cut Laura off. If he did that connection to that side would be severed. He needed her, he realised. Even if it was just as friends.

She was strange. Quiet, violent. And something else he couldn't quite put his finger on. Something behind the eyes that she tried to hide but failed miserably at. Something that reminded him of himself.

They were both damaged, lost, trying to make sense of things and not succeeding.

She was the only one that he knew wouldn't laugh at him, wouldn't demean him and make him feel small. She would listen even if she wouldn't know what to say. She didn't have an ounce of malice in her. She beat him up because he annoyed her and attacked her first, not because she wanted to.

"I need her," he said to himself. And it was painful to say. He had never needed anyone.

Throwing on whatever he could find, he steeled himself for the day ahead, trying to figure out what he was going to say. And of course, what she would say in return.

He wasn't even entirely sure what he wanted from her. He wanted a friend, primarily, a real friend not like the boys in this house. But he knew he felt more than that.

But, he warned himself, as he sped off down the road towards the school, Laura's not like other girls. She could well kill you for this.

Well, he reasoned, the path of love never did run smoothly.

* * *

"Do you think he'll ever talk to us?"

A little before first period, Laura was unpacking her things into her locker when Kitty nodded off to her left. Looking up, Laura saw Julian Keller halfway down the corridor stuffing his own things into his bag. He looked exhausted, dishevelled …

"That's up to him," she said, returning to her task.

"Why should we talk to him!" snapped Rogue, scowling over at the solitary boy. "He's been the first one to beat us up and write stuff on our lockers, why the hell should we help him now?"

"Er, maybe because he's alone now! Just like all of us have been at one point!" Kitty cried, indignantly, "You know, you weren't all sunshine and ice cream when you showed up either!"

Keller had indeed been awful since he had arrived at the Mansion in the middle of the night after being thrown out by his parents after they had discovered he was a mutant. He hadn't said what had happened, but if you passed the Keller household you would see a blown out window and a lot of building work going on.

No one had been entirely sure what to do about him. He had been one of the worst bullies the mutant kids had known. Now he was one of them. A very powerful mutant at that. Life had suddenly become awkward at the Mansion.

Keller had only been there a week but in that time he had managed to royally piss off Logan, alienate all the children with angry, violent outbursts and drive his mentor Jean absolutely insane with what to do with him. Keller had no desire to learn how to control his particularly dangerous powers and desired only to return to his normal life. He had gone to school the day after he had arrived fully expecting to integrate back into his friendship group, confident they would accept him back with open arms. He got two black eyes for his trouble. He had been alone ever since.

He had also refused to speak to Laura. Not a condescending remark to be found, no threats, nothing. He simply refused to acknowledge her presence. This suited Laura just fine. She had no desire to talk to him either.

She had enough to worry about.

She saw a blur of red out of the corner of her eye. A second later there was an all-mighty bang! Keller was on the floor. His ex friends were laughing their heads off. The bigger of the group was standing over him having apparently body-slammed Keller into his locker.

With a laugh and a swift kick to the ribs the group was off.

"Catch you later, mutie!"

Nothing broken, Laura noted as Keller struggled to his feet. Bruises for the next few days.

Kitty slammed her locker shut and before Rogue could protest she had walked over there.

"Julian? Julian, are okay?"

"FUCK OFF!"

Bright red in the face, Keller shoved Kitty's outstretched hand away from him.

"Don't you dare touch me, you fucking, fucking …!"

"Mutie?" Rogue yelled. "Well, guess what Keller, welcome to the freak brigade! Enjoy being on the receiving end for once in your rich boy life!"

BANG!

Above them a bulb exploded in a shower of green sparks. Keller looked up in alarm. With a terrified look at the girls he seized his bag and ran off.

"Damn," said Rogue. "You all right, Kit?"

Kitty nodded, though she looked visibly shaken, "He'll come round," she said with utter certainty, "He'll have to, eventually."

"If you want to be friends with him, Kit, more power to you, but don't expect me to be best buddies with the guy who damn near broke my arm the first week I was here."

They continued to argue all throughout the rest of the day pausing only to complete their first few exams in silence.

Laura was grateful for their constant distractions and was even thankful that her exams required her to think of something other than the return of Hydra.

But still she stole glances out of the window, scanning the treeline, the rooftops, the cars, looking for anything or anyone out of the ordinary. So far, she had seen no one. But that meant nothing. She thought she was relatively safe at the Mansion, but school was a free for all. They could just waltz in and grab her and there would be nothing they could do. She had to keep reminding herself that SHIELD were watching the school too. Logan had promised her SHIELD wouldn't hurt her. His promises and Fury's task force were the only reason she felt any semblance of security in this place.

To her surprise Keller turned up for their biology exam. He threw his bag under the desk and sat down heavily, keeping his eyes firmly on the board in front of him.

Their teacher handed out the thick exam papers, tossing Laura and Keller's papers at them rather than at their desk. She Keller mumble an obscenity under his breath.

He wasn't used to this treatment. Laura had little sympathy. He would have to get used to it eventually. The prejudice that all mutants felt was not going away any time soon. Keller had inflicted it enough upon them in his life, he could stand to suffer a little of the same in return.

"You may begin your exam – now!"

There was a rustle of paper and drumming of pens as the class buried themselves into their papers.

Laura turned the paper, but her mind was now firmly on Keller and certain other boy. She had spotted him earlier down the corridor – down every corridor actually. She would walk out of her exams with the awful feeling of being watched to find that it was only Pietro, watching her, following her always with the same pained expression on his face that Laura couldn't begin to decipher.

She had successfully avoided him all day. She may not understand this feeling she had for him, but she knew one thing for certain. Rice could not know about Pietro.

Laura couldn't really understand why Keller was not talking to her – specifically her, either. He had gotten angry with almost everyone else at the Mansion, but had not spoken a word to her at home or at school. They had sat the revision sessions in complete silence.

Laura could not help but wonder what she had done, or said, to make Keller hate her the way he did.

"Keller!"

Laura and the class looked up as their teacher's voice smashed through the silence. He stood at the head of the class, red in the face and storming over to Keller who threw down his pen.

"What?" cried Keller.

"Out, Keller!" yelled their teacher.

"Why? What the hell for?"

"You're a cheat, Keller. I saw you looking at Howlett's paper. Now take your stuff and get out. You've failed."

"But I haven't written anything," said Laura, holding up her blank paper, but their teacher was having none of it.

"I'll pack your stuff for you if you want Keller."

Below the desk Keller's hands were glowing green. He was seething with rage and about to explode.

"Don't." Laura hissed.

Almost imperceptibly, Keller caught her eye. The glow diminished and with a violent jerk off his chair, he seized his things, slamming the door on his way out amidst whispers and giggles from the rest of the class.

"Get back to your exam, Howlett, or I'll fail you as well."

Laura didn't see Keller again for the rest of the day. She could only assume he had gone home to sulk. Rogue confirmed that he had been missing from the geography exam they were supposed to sit and no one Kitty asked had seen him either.

She didn't see Pietro either for the rest of the day. She was relived, of course, that the cold shoulder approach seemed to be paying off, but she caught herself scanning the crowds of kids for him at the end of the day during the jubilant mass exodus out of the main building.

Laura broke out into the hot sunshine, trying to weave her way through the crowd towards the road, scanning the cars for Logan's, when in the split-second before she was scooped up, she caught Pietro's scent.

She was dumped unceremoniously on her feet behind what she quickly identified to be the gym building.

"Are you avoiding me?"

Pietro stood in front of her looking none the worse for wear for having kidnapped someone from in front of the school.

"Are you following me?," said Laura, turning to leave. She couldn't see anyone, couldn't smell anyone but them, but that meant nothing!

Pietro grabbed her arm, "No, no, please, please don't go! I _need_ to talk to you! I've been trying to all day."

"Let me go," she growled, shoving his hand away.

"Then, please just stay and talk to me!"

"I can't."

He stepped in front of her blocking her path, holding up his hands but not touching her.

"Why not?" he said, shaking his head in confusion, "Look if you're worried about your dad, then don't! He hasn't threatened me, not once! He hasn't said a word to me about what happened!"

"I _can't_ talk to you." Laura repeated, trying to tell him, trying to make him understand.

Rice was watching. He would know, he would see!

"Just go!" she said, panic seeping into her voice.

"Not until you hear me out." Pietro said, blocking her as she tried, again, to walk away. "You can't get away from me, I'll keep on catching up with you until you talk to me!"

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and her claws itched at the surface of her skin.

"Don't threaten me."

Pietro looked aghast, "I'm not! Look, I'm sorry I dragged you off but … I- I- I need you. I need you to be in my life. I want a friend. A proper, proper friend. One that won't laugh at me, one that actually gives a damn. I can't stop thinking about you and I know – okay, I know, what a jerk I was to you and I'm sorry … I just don't know how else to be!"

For the first time in her life, Laura felt her heart sink in her chest. How had this happened. Stupid, stupid Pietro! This was a nightmare. He couldn't be saying these things.

"I'm not your friend," Laura said, her throat tightening, "I _can't_ be your friend... I can't be anyone's friend!"

"Yes you can!" Pietro said stepping forward towards her so she could see the fierceness in his eyes, "If this is about me being in the Brotherhood then who cares? Lance and Kitty have been together forever and no one gives a shit."

"Its not that..."

"Your dad, then? Because we can be careful, we don't have to tell him! Besides I think he's cool with me now!"

She shook her head, "Not Logan..."

"Then what?" he cried, "What is it about me you hate so much?"

"It'll be my fault," she was suddenly saying, "you'll be locked away in the white room and he'll hurt you and it'll be all my fault!"

The redness drained from Pietro's face. "What are you talking about?" he said, and to her horror he moved to cup her face in his hands.

"Don't!" she cried. She jerked away from him and hit the back wall of the gym.

"Are you in trouble? Is that what you're so scared of?"

"No! No I'm fine! And I'm _not_ scared!. I just – I can't be your friend, I don't _want_ to be your friend!"

Pietro shook his head. "Liar. You need me as much as I need you/"

"Leave me alone." She said, in the lowest, most dangerous voice she had. He had no idea what he was doing!

"You're a liar. You do like me, I know you do!"

"You're wrong!"

"I'll prove it!"

"Go ahe..."

The rest of the word disappeared against Pietro's lips into a groan he immediately reciprocated. It took Laura a few seconds to remember to shove him off.

Laura felt her whole world falling apart around her as she looked up at the boy who looked incredibly pleased with himself.

"You idiot," she breathed, "You stupid, stupid, idiot!"

She shoved past him, tearing off down the path back towards the road. He didn't follow her, she heard him bang his fist against the brick wall behind her.

That was it. If Rice was watching her, and he was, then he would know. Right now he would be sitting in front of a monitor somewhere smirking at this new chink in her armour.

She needed help. She needed Logan.

Laura came to a dead halt on the pavement. Logan wasn't there. Where was he? He was always there. She looked up and down the road and then again and again, but he simply wasn't there.

Where was he? The one time she actually needed him and he wasn't there ….

"Laura?"

"Logan? Oh..."

It was Scott, standing behind her next to his red convertible. Jean was sat in the front seat and Rouge and Kitty already occupied the back.

"Are you okay?" Scott said.

"Do you know where Logan is?"

"Er, yeah," he replied, "He's been called away on some SHIELD business, he asked me to pick you up."

"SHIELD?"

"Yeah. Hey, are you sure you're all right?"

No. Not really. But there was no way she was about to let anyone other than Logan know that.

He wouldn't be away for ever. She resolved that when he came back then she would tell him and deal with the consequences later.

It wasn't just her in trouble anymore.

Damn Pietro.

* * *

Her dreams that night were the worst yet. Everyone she knew, everyone she cared about caught up in labs. Logan with that damned vice on his head, oblivious to her, trying to kill her as Rice forced them to fight again and again. Rogue and Kitty lying dissected, their guts in jars, Keller with is brain exposed being electrocuted. And Pietro trapped in the white room.

Sleep had been utterly futile so she had found herself wondering around checking the security for the umpteenth time. She found it adequate with one notable exception. Logan was still not back and she felt his absence badly. The Professor had assured her he would be back, after all, this was not the first time Logan had left.

No, but this was the first time Laura had truly needed him.

She had made her way up to the roof. Good view of the grounds and she desperately needed the air to soothe the sickness in her stomach.

But when she got up there, she found she was not alone in her insomnia. Keller was sat on the roof too, his face buried in his knees, his shoulders shaking.

For a split second Laura considered going over to him and saying something.

Then she remembered she was avoiding people and wouldn't know what to say anyway. So she turned to leave.

"Wait!"

He looked so miserable, so alone, so lost, so much like her that she sat down beside him anyway and listened as he began to pour his heart out.

* * *

A/N – I was originally going to include the conversation between Laura and Keller in this chapter but it was just too long. Keller has a lot to say and Laura really doesn't. I will endeavour to have the next chapter up next week for you. The bulk of it is written so I shan't be leaving you in the lurch.

Next Chapter: Laura and Keller have a heart to heart. Logan returns home to a frightened Laura and a late birthday card is delivered to the Mansion.

Drop me a review if you can, love Angel (and Noah) xxx


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